Mumbai, April 26 - India on Thursday began exporting mangoes to the United States after 17 years, following the grant of market access to the world's largest producer of the golden fruit.
The United States, which had so far blocked Indian mangoes insisting on irradiation treatment for plant health, had opened the doors after India complied with that specific demand, a government official said.
Private exporters sent consignments of Alphonso, Banganapalli and Kesar varieties by air on Thursday, and would start exporting other varieties such as Langra, Chausa, Mallika and Dussheri in the latter part of the mango season, the farm ministry said.
The U.S. department of agriculture had insisted on irradiation phytosanitary treatment for Indian mangoes to eliminate risks from fruit flies and other pests.
India, where a new mango season began this month, accounts for nearly 40 percent of global output.