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India protests US rejection of mango shipments, cites inspection irregularities
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Monday, 26 May, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Abhitash Singh, Mumbai
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Tensions have flared between Indian and US regulatory bodies after the United States rejected 15 mango shipments from India, citing procedural issues during treatment. Indian officials have pushed back, accusing US inspectors of bypassing standard protocols, causing unnecessary rejection of approximately 25 tonnes of premium mangoes.
The mangoes, originating from 10 different Indian exporters, were processed at a US-approved irradiation facility in Mumbai under the direct supervision of US inspectors. However, the rejections came without prior intimation to the Mumbai facility. Instead, inspectors directly reported their concerns to US authorities, sparking criticism from Maharashtra’s agriculture and export officials, who said the due process was not followed.
According to the officials, the rejection was based on some incomplete recording of critical data readings during the treatment process. These data lapses, they claim, were minor and should have been addressed on-site rather than resulting in a blanket rejection.
“Proper communication and timely reporting to the local facility could have prevented this issue. The mangoes were of export-grade quality and met the usual phytosanitary standards,” a senior Maharashtra official stated.
S.B. Warrior, food technologist and former scientist at BARC, said, “It is unlikely that the US would have taken such a drastic step of rejecting entire shipments merely due to documentation errors caused by their own officials. The mangoes were of premium quality, and there were no issues with the produce itself.”
Following the incident, an internal investigation has been launched to understand where the procedural lapses occurred and to ensure such issues are not repeated. Meanwhile, operations at the Mumbai irradiation facility resumed on May 10 after a temporary halt. From May 11 to 18, over 53,000 boxes of mangoes were successfully exported to the US, suggesting that the issue has now been brought under control.
Despite the setback, India’s mango exports to the US have surged by 130%, reaching $10 million this year a promising sign of the growing appetite for Indian mangoes abroad.
Officials hope the current dispute will soon be resolved through bilateral dialogue and better coordination, allowing India’s famed mango varieties like Alphonso and Kesar to continue delighting consumers in the United States.
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