Pesticide-laced fruits, greens find their way onto the plate
As many as 40 truckloads of vegetables arrive every day from other states
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Commissionerate of Food Safety has put the state on high alert with reports confirming high usage of pesticide in fruits and vegetables arriving from other states.
The high powered committee constituted by the state government reviewed the report submitted by the food safety authorities and has decided to sensitise wholesale fruits and vegetable dealers in the state.
According to latest reports, of those arriving in the state, cauliflowers, brinjals, cucumbers and red bananas are the most dangerous with a high level of pesticide content.
Commissioner of food safety T.V. Anupama told DC that the meeting was scheduled to be held on June 9. “The ground reality is more shocking and the pesticide level is 5 or 10 times more than the permissible levels in most of the vegetables arriving in the state. Some of the dangerous pesticides which we have banned in Kerala are not banned in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The state will have to take this up with higher authorities of these states. We are trying to contact the wholesale dealers and as far as we know there are not many dealers in the state,” said Anupama.
As many as 40 truckloads of vegetables arrive every day from other states. According to statistics, the state requires around 2,000 tonne of vegetables per day while the production is less than 25 percent of the total requirement.
“Cauliflowers, brinjals, cucumbers and red bananas are among the most dangerous. The pesticide level is too high and consumption can cause severe consequences,” she added.