Beijing, June 24: India, the world's largest producer of mangoes, has become the first South Asian nation to export the fruit to China, the state media reported today. This has become possible with the two governments signing the protocol of phyto-sanitary requirements for exporting mangoes from India to China as part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ongoing visit of China.
Accordingly, India will ensure that the mangoes are free of pests and issue an official phyto-sanitary certificate for them , Xinhua news agency reported.
India will carry out supervision and field inspections of the mangoes for export to China before and during the harvest season, in view of the concerns of the Chinese side. Prior to the export season, the relevant annual reports will be provided to China.
The picking and packing of mangoes for export to China will be subject to strict quarantine supervision. The mangoes will be imported via the cities of Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai and Nanjing, the report said.
The protocol not only provided a passport for Indian mangoes into China, but also strengthened the protection of Chinese agricultural goods and reduced the risk of pest invasion, an official with the general administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine of China, Qi Xiuqin said.
Bureau Report