British PM to discuss mango ban with new Indian PM

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SME Times News Bureau | 08 May, 2014
British Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday said that he is "looking forward" to discussing the recent European Union (EU) ban on Indian mango imports with the country's new prime minister, a media report said.

Addressing British MPs in the House of Commons Wednesday, Cameron said the ban was a "serious issue" as there were concerns about possible cross-contamination and it must be made sure that "that is got right", BBC reported Wednesday.

EU's 28 member states endorsed March 26 emergency measures proposed by the European Commission to ban the import of certain fruits and vegetables from India.

The EU banned the import of Alphonso mangoes and four vegetables from India for the period from May 1 to December 2015 after authorities found consignments infested with fruit flies.

India, however, has claimed that an elaborate examination and certification procedure that addresses the issues raised by the EU, has been put in place.

During the Prime Minister's Questions Wednesday, Britain's Labour Party MP Keith Vaz expressed his concern over the matter while urging Cameron to reverse the ban, which he said was harming hundreds of businesses.

Vaz had earlier called for a parliamentary debate on the issue in the British House of Commons slated for Thursday.

Leicester East MP Vaz had claimed that hundreds of businesses in his city of Leicester, and across Britain, would suffer millions of pounds in losses and called on the prime minister to "keep the special relationship with India".

Cameron said "I understand how strongly he (Keith Vaz) feels and how strongly the Indian community in this country feels and indeed I look forward to discussing it with the new Indian prime minister," BBC cited him as saying.

The British prime minister thanked Vaz for the tray of mangoes that was delivered to his Downing Street home as part of the campaign to lift the EU ban on imports from India.

Imports have been restricted as 207 consignments of mangoes and some vegetables shipped from India in 2013 were found to be contaminated by pests.

India, the world's largest mango exporter, sells about 65,000-70,000 tonnes of all varieties of the fruit overseas out of its total production of 15-16 lakh tonnes.

UK imports around 6.3 million pounds worth of Indian mangoes per year out of a UK mango market worth 68 million pounds in total.