Abundant harvest and exports expected to rise

In western India litchi harvest is abundant and exports are planned to increase significantly.

In the state of Maharashtra, the litchi harvest is abundant. The last export date from the 2011 harvest, because fruits were not exported the following two years because of the weather and pests. The processing techniques have made considerable progress. The lychee is a fragile fruit, with a lifetime without treatment of barely 1 week.

Indian scientists have worked for 2 years on techniques to improve the conservation of fruit. Exposure of lychees to  GRAS chemicals (Generally Recognised As Safe) and storage at 4°C keeps fruits 45 days. More irradiation that uses gamma rays, electron beams or X-rays, to kill parasites is mandatory for imported fruist in some countries (USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan).

With this progress, exports may resume and intensify. Lychees of India can compete with the fruits of Israel or Thailand on Europe, Middle East, U.S. and Australia markets.

source : mumbai mirror com