South Africa has granted permission to import various Indian mango varieties, such as Alfonso, Totapuri, and Kesar, following extensive regulatory scrutiny. This move aims to diversify South Africa's fruit offerings and cater to the demand from Indian expat communities in neighboring countries.
At the 'Bharat Mango Utsav 2024' event in Johannesburg, Simmi Unnikrishnan, Assistant General Manager from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) of India, announced the market access. She highlighted that 1.5 metric tonnes of mangoes from Gujarat have already been shipped to South Africa.
Consul General Mahesh Kumar emphasized the significant efforts behind gaining this access, noting that importing Indian mangoes could provide South Africans with year-round availability due to the opposite growing seasons of the two hemispheres.
Pranav Khattar, a leading distributor of Indian food products in South Africa, expressed his satisfaction with the permission and plans to start importing mangoes next season. He believes Indian mangoes will be competitive with local varieties, particularly the expensive Heidi mangoes.
Indian mango pulp has been available in South Africa for years, widely used in mango juice and lassi by Indian restaurants. Unnikrishnan offered to connect South African importers with Indian exporters, while Kumar assured that any South African request for market access for their mangoes to India would be considered.
This market access is expected to benefit Indian farmers, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of doubling farmers' incomes.
Source: www.etvbharat.com