Bavla: For the first time, Gujarat’s famous kesar mangoes will be directly exported to the US, following approval by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) of the Gujarat agro radiation processing facility in July of last year.

Previously, kesar and alphonso mangoes from Gujarat were exported through Maharashtra. The new facility at Bavla near Ahmedabad, developed by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd (GAIC), will enable farmers and exporters to increase exports to the US and other markets such as Australia.

The irradiation process used in the facility not only helps in killing insects on the fruit, but also increases its shelf life by at least 25 days. It is expected that direct exports to the US of around 400 tonnes of mangoes will take place between mid-April and June, with the new facility helping Gujarat-based exporters to command premium prices for their superior-quality mangoes. DeshGujarat