US Rejects Indian Mango Shipments :15 mango shipments from India dumped in US over USDA form issue. Exporters suffer a ₹4.15 crore ($500,000) loss, raising tensions during India-US trade talks.

“Dumped Over a Form”: US Trashes Indian Mangoes, Exporters in Shock

A summer dream crushed at the gate

It’s mango season in India. That sweet time of year when farmers and exporters gear up for their golden moment. But for 15 shipments sent to the US, it ended in heartbreak. They were all destroyed at airports in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Not because of pests. Not because of bad fruit. But because of a missing tick on a USDA form.

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The paperwork mess no one saw coming

Every box had already gone through irradiation in Mumbai standard treatment to kill pests and extend shelf life. The key document? A USDA form called PPQ203, signed by their own officer. But something on it was off. What exactly? No one’s saying. Customs refused to clear them. The options were brutal: destroy or send them back. But let’s be real by the time they reached India again, they’d be mush.

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Exporters left stunned and angry

“We followed every rule,” said one Mumbai-based exporter. His mangoes were trashed in LA. “Why would we even get that form if treatment wasn’t done? It’s signed by a US officer! It’s not in our control.” For small exporters, it was a punch to the gut. They spent months preparing. It was all for nothing.

Half a million dollars tossed away

The numbers sting. Around $500,000 worth of mangoes gone. Not just fruit, but time, energy, labor. From farmers to packers to shippers, everyone loses. And in a season this short, there’s no time to bounce back. The fruit’s gone. So is the hope.

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Nobody’s owning the mistake

Finger-pointing has already started. APEDA says the problem came from MSAMB, the team running the USDA-approved facility. But MSAMB hasn’t said a word. Silence from all ends. Meanwhile, exporters are left hanging, trying to explain to clients and farmers what went wrong. And they’ve got no answers.

Bad timing with big trade talks on the table

The US and India are knee-deep in trade talks. India wants lower tariffs on mangoes, shrimp and garments. The US wants easier access for apples and electric vehicles. But how do you talk trade when your fruit’s being dumped at the airport?

One form, a season lost

For these exporters, mango season is everything. It’s their biggest shot of the year. Now, they’re watching their hard work rot in airport trash bins. Over a form. Not because of bad fruit. Just a bad system.