$500K Indian Mangoes Rejected in US Over Paperwork Errors

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$500,000 worth of premium Indian mangoes got destroyed at US airports because of one simple mistake.

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15 shipments of Alphonso and Kesar mangoes were rejected not for quality issues, but for wrong paperwork.

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The twist? A US inspector in Mumbai signed the same forms that US customs later called 'incorrectly issued.

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Indian exporters faced a brutal choice: pay huge shipping costs to return spoiled fruit or destroy 25 metric tonnes on the spot."

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The PPQ203 form proves mangoes got radiation treatment to kill fruit flies - but small errors triggered massive rejections.

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Indian officials fired back, claiming US inspectors broke protocol by not discussing problems first with local agencies.

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This happened during India's best mango export year to America - sales jumped 130% to $10 million in 2023-24.

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The mango trade has wild history: America banned Indian mangoes for 18 years until President Bush tasted one and called it 'hell of a fruit.

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Workers at the Mumbai facility might have messed up radiation measurements - the numbers that track pest-killing treatment.

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Operations resumed within days, shipping 53,072 boxes to America, but the damage exposed how one wrong form can kill entire businesses.

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India produces 43% of world's mangoes with 1,000+ varieties, but strict US rules make every shipment a paperwork gamble.

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The real cost? Trust between two growing trade partners where small mistakes create big diplomatic headaches.

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