US accepts first irradiated mangoes from India

Washington, May 3: The United States has begun to accept shipments of irradiated mangoes from India from last Tuesday, the first US imports of irradiated fruit.

Irradiation was approved in 2002 as an effective treatment for eradicating pests in some fruits and vegetables entering the US.

According to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) press release, in 2006 irradiation was approved for a wider range of food products, including Indian mangoes.

Irradiation serves as an alternative to other pest control methods such as fumigation and cold and heat treatments.

"This is a significant milestone that paves the way for the future use of irradiation technology to protect against the introduction of plant pests," US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said.

Import of the irradiated fruit "signals the determination of both India and the United States to forge deeper and stronger trade ties and create significant new economic opportunities for the people of both of our vast countries," said US Trade Representative Susan Schwab.

The USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved commercial shipments of fresh mangoes from India that are treated with specified doses of irradiation at an APHIS certified facility prior to export to ensure that plant pests do not enter the US, the USDA release said.

US-India trade has been growing at an average annual rate of almost 20 per cent since 2002.

The United States and India want to double their bilateral trade to approximately 60 billion dollars by 2008, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).

Schwab also said more Indian organic food products certified according to USDA standards by Indian agents are soon expected to flow into the United States.

A question relating to Indian mangoes was also raised at the White House yesterday and its spokesman Tony snow said, "I think it, once again, reflects what we see, which is not only increasing closeness between the two governments, but also increasing interdependency." "India is a very important partner for the United States. You saw the civil nuclear agreement, also agricultural cooperation.

India is going to be vital part also in pursuing the Doha Round," the spokesman said.

UNI

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