A case of exporting mangoes: US junks 15 Indian shipments over lapses in documentation

Authorities in the US—India’s largest export market for mangoes—rejected at least 15 shipments of the fruit sent by air upon arrival, attributing it to lapses in documentation. They instructed the exporters to either destroy the cargo in the US or re-export it to India. All chose to discard the mangoes due to its perishable nature and high cost of transporting it back to India.

The affected shipments had undergone irradiation in Mumbai on May 8 and 9, but were turned away at airports including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta, ET has learnt. US authorities cited discrepancies in the documentation related to the irradiation process—a mandatory treatment that exposes a fruit to controlled doses of radiation to eliminate pests and extend shelf life. So, it wasn’t the presence of pests but the paperwork around the pest-control protocol that caused the problem, according to exporters.

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Two exporters, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the rejection.


‘Mistakes at Irradiation Facility’
They noted that the irradiation process is done at a facility in Navi Mumbai under the supervision of a US department of agriculture (USDA) officer. This officer is responsible for certifying the PPQ203 form — a mandatory document for US-bound mangoes. “We are being penalised for mistakes made at the irradiation facility,” an exporter said.

Given the perishable nature of mangoes and the costs attached with destroying or re-exporting them, exporters estimate potential losses of about $500,000. A notification sent by USDA to one of the affected exporters, and reviewed by ET, said the shipment was denied entry by US Customs and Border Protection “due to incorrectly issued PPQ203.” The notice further directed that the consignment “must be re-exported or destroyed,” adding that the US government won’t incur “remedial measures for this shipment”.

Another exporter, whose shipment was initially held at Los Angeles airport over the weekend (May 9-11) before being ordered to destroy the boxes, was informed that the consignment did not meet the “entry requirement” — specifically, the mandated irradiation treatment.

The exporter strongly refuted the claim, stating that the irradiation process was indeed completed and that the PPQ203 form was issued only after the procedure. “How can we receive the form if the treatment was never done? And without that form, issued by none other than the USDA officer, the mangoes couldn’t even have been cleared for loading at Mumbai airport,” he said.

Queried on details of the incident — including the volume of affected mangoes and specifics of the documentation errors — the office of the chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Authority (APEDA) said, “The matter pertains to the shipment of mangoes from USDA approved facility, Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) located at Vashi, Mumbai. Hence inputs may be sought from them.”

APEDA is an arm of the ministry of commerce and industry. MSAMB did not respond to an email query.