Annoyed with mango ban, British Indians ask Cameron to intervene

, April 30: India's leading export promotion agency Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), a government-affiliated body, has asked the European Union (EU) to reconsider its decision of imposing

on

exports from India. The ban was imposed by 28-member EU on mango and four other vegetables like bitter gourd and eggplant after unwanted quarantine pests like non-European fruit flies in some consignments. The ban is to come into effect on May 1.

Chief of FIEO Rafiq Ahmed said the consigm=nments were undergoing vertification and testing and since they have taken care of the issues, the EU should lift the ban.

Sources in the commerce ministry said that New Delhi has already raised the matter with Brussels, the headquarters of the EU.

British Indians have expressed great displeasure with the ban and have reportedly asked British Prime Minister David Cameron to personally intervene and see that the EU lifts its ban on the import of the Indian mangoes. Indian-origin Labour Party lawmaker Keith Vaz blasted the decision to ban mango exports and called it "Euro-nonsense and bureaucracy gone mad". He said the Indian government complied with the EU norms and that the ban would hurt the British economy.

Vaz and mango retailers and importers delivered two boxes of Alphonso mangoes at 10, Downing Street, the oficial residence of the prime minister of Britain.

India is the world's top mango exporter and the mango economy is said to be worth more than Rs 1,000 crore.

Oneindia News