No mangoes in baggage to US, please

New Delhi : India asked passengers flying to the United States not to carry mangoes in their baggage on Thursday, saying exports of the fruit to that country - opened this year to great fanfare - were limited to registered traders.
The move to allow commercial mango exports has encouraged travelers to their personal baggage with the fruit, one of the country's favorites beloved by thousands of homesick Indians - but this has sparked complaints from US food authorities.
India, the world's largest producer of the golden fruit, began exporting it to the United States in April following years of lobbying in what some analysts have called "mango diplomacy".'
Washington had refused to accept the fruit shipments because they were not irradiated to protect against fruit flies and pests.
"It would like to inform the public... only pre-cleared and certified commercial consignments of irradiated mangoes are allowed to enter the US," said the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, an Indian trade ministry body.
30/08/07 Independent Online, South Africa

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Categories: Foreign Aug 2007