Mumbai: Indian mango shipments exported to the United States have been rejected due to documentation errors, leading to significant financial losses for exporters. Approximately 15 containers of mangoes were returned by American authorities citing flaws in the paperwork related to the mandatory irradiation process. Officials stated that errors were found in the PPQ 203 form, which documents the completion of irradiation. As the cost of bringing the goods back to India was high, the exporters were compelled to destroy the mangoes in the United States itself. The estimated loss is around $500,000 (approximately ₹4.15 crore).
Several consignments were halted at major American airports including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. The irradiation process had been completed in Mumbai on May 8 and 9. However, an English-language publication reported that the U.S. authorities found discrepancies in the documentation, particularly in the PPQ 203 form. The issue arose not due to pest infestation in the fruits, but solely due to administrative lapses. Irradiation is a process used to eliminate pests from fruits and extend their shelf life.
One exporter stated, “The U.S. Customs and Border Protection informed us that the shipment was rejected because the PPQ 203 form was not issued correctly. They told us the goods must either be returned or destroyed, and that the U.S. government will not bear any associated costs,” he said.
The irradiation process is conducted at a center in Navi Mumbai under the supervision of a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) representative. The same USDA official is responsible for certifying the required PPQ 203 form for mango exports to the U.S. “We are being penalized for errors committed at the irradiation center,” an exporter lamented.
Another exporter, whose shipment was halted and subsequently ordered to be destroyed at the Los Angeles airport between May 9 and 11, said, “They claimed that we failed to comply with the mandatory irradiation protocol, which is completely false. We were issued the PPQ 203 form only after the irradiation process was completed. Without that form, the mangoes wouldn’t even be allowed onto the flight at Mumbai airport,” he said.
Since the United States is a key export market for Indian mangoes, this incident could potentially affect trade relations. When asked about the scale of the affected mango shipments and the documentation errors, the office of the Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) responded, “This issue pertains to a USDA-approved center operated by the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) at Vashi, Mumbai. Hence, a clarification must be sought from them.” APEDA functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Despite requesting an explanation via email, no response has been received from the MSAMB.
