Kathmandu: Nepal has restricted the import of mangoes from India due to the fruit allegedly containing excessive pesticides and a lack of quarantine facilities in the border areas, officials here said.
As a result of the ban, the local markets are now filled with domestically grown mangoes. Mangoes are in high demand during the summer season.
Officials said the government restricted the import of mangoes, which contained excessive pesticides, and due to a lack of quarantine facilities in the border areas, mainly in Madhesh province.
The restriction on the import of mangoes from India has encouraged local farmers, as they do not have to compete with Indian fruits this season, said Ajaya Gyawali, information officer at the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of Madhesh province.
It has promoted the local production, which is a positive development, he added.
However, he said the domestic production may be insufficient to meet the demand for mangoes across the country.
Siraha, Saptari and Dhanusha districts in the Madhesh province are the major producers of mangoes, according to Gyawali.
In Nepal, mangoes are produced between mid-May and mid-July. The restriction may also affect some industries that are based on mangoes, such as fruit juice manufacturers, he said.
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According to local traders, it is important to import mangoes from India to meet the demand for the fruit throughout the year, as the production of Nepalese mangoes is limited to just two months.
Bhuvaneshwar Purbe, general secretary of the Fruit and Vegetable Traders’ Association in Janakpurdham, said halting Indian imports could lead to shortages in the domestic market.
He advised the government to strengthen quarantine systems and allow Indian fruits to enter the Nepalese market after proper quality testing, instead of imposing a complete ban on imports, according to The Rising Nepal daily.
According to him, though over 50 tonnes of mangoes arrive from neighbouring districts in Janakpurdham, which is later supplied to Kathmandu and other parts of the country, the local production alone may not be sufficient to meet the entire demand.
The traders warn that the price of mangoes, which is around NPR 100 to 150 per kg in Kathmandu presently, may reach even higher in the coming days if the restriction imposed on the import of the fruit from India is not lifted.
With the halt in import of bananas from India, the fruit, which cost around NPR 120-150 a dozen till last year, has now reached NPR 250 to 300 per dozen, complain local consumers.