Delhi told to get tough after high pesticide levels found in produce

By RJ Whitehead,03-Jun-2013

A government panel has called for stringent checks for pesticides in fruit and vegetables brought into Delhi after discovering that most of the produce it tested contained dangerous chemical residues.

The All India panel had been looking at the impact of pesticide residues on produce sold in the capital as a result of a demand by the High Court in August last year for the Center to form a committee to frame a policy of periodic checks.

In its report, the panel found that most of the vegetables sourced from Delhi’s mandis – and especially okra, cabbage and cauliflower – were found to have pesticide residues higher than the maximum residue limit. Cypermethrin, chlorpyriphos were found to be the chemicals most often found in the city’s vegetables.

All produce checked

Sandhya Kulshrestha of the Central Health Education Board, and chair of the panel, said that checks had become essential.

"No fruit or vegetable consignment should be allowed to enter into the country without a pre-dispatch pesticide testing report by the exporter,” said Kulshrestha.

“Samples of imported fruits and vegetables should be drawn at international arrival points and monitored for pesticide residues. For this, guidelines may be drafted on a priority basis," the panel said.

It also recommended that the Delhi government consider establishing a pesticide residue management cell. Under the control of the state’s food commissioner, it should be given the power to co-ordinate with other authorities and be responsible for handling all issues related to pesticide residue in food articles, the report said.

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