India's Bitter Harvest: The Crisis of Tainted Food Exports

India is one of the world's largest agricultural exporters, supplying spices, fruits, and produce to kitchens across the globe. But behind this success lies a growing challenge that is threatening both international confidence and public health. In this episode, we investigate the mounting concerns over food safety in India's agricultural supply chain, tracing how excessive pesticide use, banned chemicals, and weak regulatory oversight have triggered import restrictions from major global markets. We examine the consequences for farmers, exporters, and consumers alike, as contaminated food raises difficult questions about trade, governance, and trust. The story reveals how the journey from farm to table has become entangled with issues of corruption, enforcement, and public health—and why restoring confidence may require more than tighter inspections, but a fundamental transformation of the systems that produce the food people eat every day.https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/07/09/indian-mangoes-have-been-banned-from-japan