After surprise inspections, EU bans import of fruit and veg from India

At a European Union’s (EU) Standing Committee meeting on plant health, experts from its member states imposed bans on taro, mango, bitter gourd, eggplant and snake gourd from India. The decision was aimed at tackling the significant shortcomings in system of phytosanitary certification, which these products had to obtain before being exported to the EU.

It was taken after the emergency measures proposed by the European Commission, which recently undertook unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the automotive exhaust systems industry in several member states. The Commission was concerned that the firms concerned violated EU anti-trust rules, which prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or abuse of the market position. 

The European Union’s press release stated that a number of consignments containing the aforementioned fruit and vegetables were intercepted upon arrival in the EU. It was found that they were infested with quarantine pests, mainly insects such as non-European fruitflies. The prohibited commodities represented less than five per cent of the total fresh fruit and vegetables imported to the EU from India. 

“However, the potential introduction of new pests could pose a threat to EU agriculture and production. Such pests were reportedly found in 207 consignments of fruit and vegetables from India imported to the EU in 2013. The measures would become applicable from May 2014, and a revision would take place before December 31, 2015,” it added.

“We are surprised with the bans on these items by EU. We were in high-level talks to export a better quality of fruit and vegetables. Most of the bans were imposed because of the organisms and diseases found in the fruit and vegetables. EU notified that it would revise the decision only at the end of 2015. But our delegations are in constant touch with EU officials and would visit Europe next week,” said Sudhanshu, regional head, west region, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).