The ban on Indian mango imports into the EU will be lifted ahead of the next season which begins in March, www.freshfruitportal.com can reveal.

A proposal by the European Commission to lift the embargo, which has been in place since last May, was endorsed by Member State plant health experts during a Standard Committee meeting held in Brussels today (January 20).

An EC statement sent to www.freshfruitportal.com says the import into EU territory of certain fruit and vegetables – mango, the taro plant, two types of gourd and eggplant – were prohibited due to a high number of consignments intercepted at arrivals in the EU that were infested with quarantine pests, mainly insects, which may have threatened European productions.

"An audit carried out by the Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office in India in September 2014 showed significant improvements in the phytosanitary export certification system," the statement says.

"India has also proved assurances that appropriate measures are now available to ensure that the exports of mango fruits are free from quarantine pests, like the fruit flies, not known to occur in the Union.

"The measures will allow the import of mango fruits before the start of the next import season in March 2015. At a later stage, when move evidence is collected regarding the Indian phytosanitary certification, the prohibition of vegetables will be reviewed."

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