APEDA sends MRL advisory to veggie exporters

NEW DELHI: Worried over presence of more than permissible pesticide residues in okra and pepper consignment for Saudi Arabia, the government has asked the vegetable exporters to strictly adhere to the quality norms prescribed by the European Union.

According to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA), the government has received complaint from the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia expressing serious concerns shown by Saudi Arabia authorities over the serious deviations in the residues of pesticides detected in consignments of okra and pepper shipped from India recently.

“The government of Saudi Arabia has cautioned that any recurrence of such deviation would invite stronger action regarding the entry of shipment from India,” an advisory released by APEDA says.

The APEDA has advised exporters to strictly adhere to the European Union Minimum Residues Levels (MRLs) and refrain from making any shipments without testing the through APEDA recognized laboratories.

India annually exports around 25,000 tonnes of vegetables to Saudi Arabia which include okra and pepper.