Pesticide-free veggies unlikely this Onam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The consumers in Kerala may not get ‘safe-to-eat’ vegetables during  Onam  as promised by the state government. The central government has extended by six more months the mandatory food safety licence for lorries and wholesalers bringing vegetables and fruits from outside the state.   

The state authorities will have to be content with  random checking and collection of vegetable samples at check-posts when truckloads of fruits and vegetables will flood the markets from Bodimettu in Theni district and Kambam Medu in Tamil Nadu for the  festive season.

Initially, the time limit for the licence was until July 20 which was extended to August 4. Accordingly, 13 lorries which had come from across the border were intercepted on Wednesday night and the wee hours of Thursday by the food safety officials in Idukki district.

According to G. Ganga Bai, assistant food safety commissioner, only three lorries checked at the Kumaly check post had the requisite licence which helped  reveal the source of their produce.

“We have sent the vegetable samples to the regional analytical laboratory at Kakkanad in Ernakulam to know the residue level of pesticides,”  said Ms. Bai.

However, government sources said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India was  under pressure from the Crop Care Federation of India to extend the time limit for the food safety licence.

“Dr S. Ayyappan, Director-General of  Indian Council of Agricultural Research, as well as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture Research and Education  had sent a letter to all the states a few months ago to stall a negative report which can hamper the export of red chilly powder,”  said a  government official.