Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA):
Lab testing of India's potatoes, green chillies for export mandatory
With effect from May 30, 2014, Saudi Arabia had banned the import of green chillies from India due to the presence of a higher-than-permissible level of pesticide residues. In the past, there have been several reported instances of contaminated green chilli consignments in Saudi Arabia.
APEDA had issued several advisories to the exporters of green chillies urging them to get their consignments tested from APEDA-approved laboratories and export only the compliant material. The exporters did not take serious cognisance of these advisories, and that resulted in a ban.
The agriculture ministry directed APEDA not to issue any phytosanitary certificates to consignments containing chillies to the Middle-East or potatoes to Russia without submitting a certificate by a lab approved by the authority. APEDA doubled the sampling intensity for potatoes to Russia.
A recent communication by the Federal Services for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) of the Russian Federation informed that 23 consignments of Indian potatoes have been intercepted with pests and diseases. It demanded that stringent action be taken.
V K Kaul, deputy general manager, APEDA, said, “In a serious tone, the Russian government informed us to take immediate measures to stop phytosanitary violations in exporting potatoes, as they found many consignments contaminated.”
“The investigations are still going on. The contamination was identified as brown rot agent (Ralstonia solanacearum), which poses a potential threat for Russia. APEDA is strict to its quality methods and advised exporters to follow all quality measures,” he added. “As per the directions of the agricultural ministry, APEDA would produce a phyto-sanitary certificate only after lab testing. The quality testing of exporting potatoes to Russia in APEDA-approved laboratories are now mandatory,” Kaul added.
T Sudhakar, deputy general manager, APEDA, said “Misunderstanding in the use of pesticide residues by farmers lead to the recent ban on Indian green chillies by Saudi Arabia. Farmers use different kinds of chemicals and pesticides to protect their crops and for good harvest.”
“But using of these chemicals are depended on many factors, including the soil, the climate, the place and even the variety of chillies produced. Using pesticides just before the harvest would be dangerous, and mostly affects the exporting consignments,” he added. “Every pesticide has a prescribed level of use. Farmers should not use pesticides, if it is labelled unfit for chillies or vegetables. The quantity of pesticides can also affect the quality of products. Careless use of chemicals would affect the trade of agricultural products with foreign countries,” Sudhakar said.
Source: fnbnews.com