India has become one of the first countries to export its world famous mangoes to China's potentially huge market under a bilateral agreement signed during the recent visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, official sources said in Beijing on Wednesday.

The first consignment of six tonnes -- three each for the Chinese capital, Beijing, and the eastern metropolis Shanghai -- has arrived, the sources told PTI.

The Indian export of mangoes to China has become possible with the governments of India and China signing the protocol of phytosanitary requirements for exporting mangoes during Vajpayee's visit to China last month.

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"With this, India and China have implemented the first agreement signed during the prime minister's visit," the sources said.

Though the world famous Alphonsos are missing due to late orders from China at the end of mango season, the Chinese people in Beijing and Shanghai would get a chance to taste

'Langda' and 'Chausa' varieties from Uttar Pradesh for the first time.

"The initial market response to Indian mangoes is very encouraging," an official source said, adding that the first consignment of six tonnes would be used only for promoting Indian mangoes in China.

With this, India has also become the first South Asian country to export mangoes to China, which strictly restricts imports of fruits and vegetables.

"We hope to be a leading player in the growing Chinese market for mangoes and other fruits," he said, adding that New Delhi would be pressing China to open up to other Indian fruits and vegetables.

As part of the bilateral agreement between India and China on the latter's accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001, Beijing had agreed to the import 17 types of fruits and vegetables from India.

The protocol on mangoes is the first agreement to be signed by the two countries under the WTO bilateral deal, official sources said.

According to the agreement, India will ensure that the mangoes are free of pests and issue an official phytosanitary certificate for them.

The picking and packing of mangoes for export to China will be subject to strict quarantine supervision.

The mangoes will be imported to China via the cities of Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai and Nanjing.

Sources said senior officials from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority would be visiting Chinese cities and hold seminars and establish contacts with Chinese importers, wholesalers and retailers.

As part of India's efforts to conquer the Chinese mango market, APEDA would bring other by-products of mango like squashes, jam, mango juice etc into the country.

A couple of Indian restaurants in Beijing in the Chinese capital and Shanghai would also be roped in to serve mango dishes and curries so as to popularise Indian mangoes in China.