EU lifts ban on mangoes from India

Brussels - Mangoes from India can once again be imported into the European Union, the bloc's executive body said on Tuesday after the country made progress on ensuring that the fruit is free of pests.

An audit by the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office in September showed "significant improvements" in India's system to certify plants for export, the commission said in a statement.

"India has also provided assurances that appropriate measures are now available to ensure that the exports of mango fruits are free from quarantine pest, like the fruit flies not known to occur in the union," it said.

The fruit will be let back into the EU in time for the start of the next import season in March, the commission said.

Indian mangoes had been banned in the EU since April along with aubergines, taro and two types of gourd produced in the country. The restrictions for the vegetables remain in place.

Pests that are not native to Europe had been found in 207 fruit and vegetable consignments from the subcontinent in 2013 and posed a threat to EU agriculture, according to the commission.