Japan is the latest destination for Indian companies to export fresh mangoes.

Andhra Pradesh-based fruit processing company Galla Foods has started exporting of fresh mangoes to Japan. This is the first full season of exports. Galla Foods is part of the Amara Raja Group.

Ramachandra Galla, chairman of the Galla Group, said that the company has plans to export over 120 tonnes of alphonso mangoes to Japan, to begin with.

He said Galla Foods hopes to exploit the opportunity of the opening up of fresh fruits exports to Japan after both countries finalised the protocols for export last year.

Galla Foods has tied up with Motooka of Japan, a distribution chain that caters to leading retail networks, which would stock the Galla brand of alphonso mangoes.

Galla said that the company plans to export banganapalle and mallika varieties to Japan.

R Shankaran, Director of Imago Consultants, which is assisting Galla Foods in tapping the Japanese market, said that five Indian states have been cleared for exporting specific varieties of fresh mangoes to Japan.

They are Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal's Malda for langdaand chausa, Andhra Pradesh for banganapalli and alphonso, Maharashtra for alphonso and Gujarat for kesar.

An official from Japan's quarantine authority has been posted at Galla Foods processing facility to monitor the quality of exports.

The company is setting up a food crop complex on a 100-acre facility in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh that will be mainly used for exports.

The company also plans to export a wide range of processed fruit and vegetable products and launch its own brand of fruit-based drinks in the domestic market by the year-end.

Galla Foods has set up the pack house and processing unit for fresh fruits at Chittoor at a cost of Rs 5 crore, where it also has a Rs 25-crore fruit pulp unit.

The company, which started from scratch in 2005, was able to gain a firm footing last year for the Galla brand of fruit pulp in the export markets in West Asia and Europe.

This year, for the season starting in May, it has orders for over 12,000 tonnes of mango pulp.