Washington, The sweet aroma of the “Kesar” variety of Indian mango wafts through select stores in Seattle, tantalizing the taste buds of gourmet connoisseurs.
A year-long initiative by the Consulate General of India in Seattle has paved the way for retail chains such as Costco to sell a variety of Indian mangoes.
The Indian mango’s story in the United States dates back to 2006, when then-President George W. Bush cleared the way for the fruit to be brought to American shores, a news that was greeted with as much enthusiasm as an announcement of commitment to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.
India’s Consul General in Seattle, Prakash Gupta, spoke about Indian mangoes on Fox 13 News’ “Wonderful Seattle” special and brought a variety of fruits for tasting at the television studio.
“We believe some local grocery stores in India already have these products,” Gupta said. “Larger grocery stores, such as Costco stores in Seattle, Kirkland, Redmond and the greater Seattle area, may have them available by the end of the week.”
He outlined the consulate’s year-long efforts to introduce different mango varieties to locals in Seattle and surrounding areas.
Last year, the consulate organized tasting activities of high-quality varieties such as Dasheri, Chausa, Kesar and Langra to introduce these fruits to local consumers and dealers.
“Then we worked with a lot of local grocers, delivery stores and large U.S. retailers to see if they could get locals to taste it here as well,” Gupta said.
“I’m happy to say that after a year of hard work, starting this weekend we will be launching a variety of Indian mangoes in Seattle, starting with Kesar,” he said.
The United States has banned mango imports from India because the mango seed weevil does not exist in North America.
A solution emerged in January 2006, when the Ministry of Agriculture allowed the import of agricultural products treated with low-dose irradiation.
The first batch of Indian Alphonso mangoes was warmly received and presented to then-US Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
A 3kg box of Kesar mangoes sells for $50 (including tax) in online stores.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
