India, US swap mangoes for Harley bikes

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Co-chairing a meeting of Indo-US trade policy forum, along with US trade representative Susan Schwab, Nath said that just as mangoes from India were facing some roadblocks to get market access in the US, the popular Harley Davidson bike from the US was also facing emission norm constraints in India.

But that will soon become a thing of the past, he said. "We will soon issue a notification on the import of Harley Davidson bike," the commerce minister said, even as his counterpart promised that "the Indian mangoes are only a few days away from shipment."

"Litchi and guava will have opportunities for export in the US market in future. But, as of now we are concerned about mangoes which will enter the US market for the first time within a few weeks. Later on we will consider these two fruit products for import in the US market," Schwab said, adding, "There are a lot of openings between India and the US to go for collaboration in the agricultural sector."

"Since the news about the possibility of import of Indian mangoes to the US appeared, we have been getting frequent queries from speciality grocery stores as well as transporters," a spokesperson of the United States Indian Business Council (USIBC) said, adding that although US consumers were relatively unfamiliar to mangoes, in recent years the fruit was getting popular, following import from mainly Mexico.

"Mexican mangoes do not compare in terms of sweetness and varieties offered by the Indian mangoes," the spokesperson, however, added.

USIBC has been steadily building up a case for allowing import of Indian mangoes to the US in recent years.

As part of the same exercise, the Council planned to organize the first ever 'Indian Mango Tasting Festival' at its Global India Summit to be held during the 32nd anniversary at Washington from June 27. Participants are expected to include Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Boeing Company's CEO Jim McNerney, CII Mentor Tarun Das, Wockhardt CEO and FICCI president Hari Korakiawala, Warbur g Pincus president Chip Kaye, AIG vice chairman Frank Wisner and McKinsey's Rajat Gupta among others.

"The possibility of mango export to the US assumes commercial as well as symbolic significance, as access to the global marketplace will benefit Indian farmers and consumers, together with their American counterparts," Council president Ron Summers said.

"The US-India Business Council will continue to advocate deeper trade between our two countries. We want to open new and exciting vistas for the people of both countries," he added.

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