The recent European Union (EU) ban on agro products from India may, in the long run, help you buy pesticide-free vegetables and fruits from the local market.
To meet the stringent EU norms, the state government has plans to set up Agricultural and Food Products Export development Authority (APEDA)-certified integrated pack houses, a senior government official said here on Wednesday.
The 28-member EU imposed the ban on mangoes and vegetables after finding pests in some of the consignments from India.
The ban has hit Kerala's modest Rs 220-crore vegetable and fruit export industry. The state has been exporting pineapple, bananas, spices and red rice to growing markets such as France and Germany in the EU.
State agriculture secretary K R Jyothilal said the EU has low tolerance towards pesticide residue limits unlike in India.
"But once we adhere to EU norms, the farmer is assured of huge profits. This will also in turn encourage him to use lesser pesticides on products meant for the domestic market, as he will find agriculture sustainable,'' the official said.
Kerala has been lacking APEDA-approved pack houses and the government was now planning to start such centres at Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Nadukara agro-processing factories.
"We plan to begin APEDA-certified pack houses, where inspectors will conduct lab tests. The department will take the assistance of scientists from Kerala Agriculture University to test vegetables and fruits,'' Jyothilal said.
APEDA chairman Santhosh Sarangi expressed his organisation's willingness to help the state set up pack houses. "The future of agro export industry lies in penetrating niche EU market by delivering quality food products and booking good profits,'' he said.
APEDA, the nodal body affiliated to the Union ministry of commerce and industry, is responsible for developing farm export-based industries, besides providing financial assistance to farm-entrepreneurs. The body also issues standards and specifications for agro-products meant for exports.
Sarangi said the setting up of APEDA-approved pack houses would help farmers export products to European countries with stringent import rules.
The authority chief termed the EU blanket ban on agro products from all Indian states unfortunate since "pests were found in a few consignments. We should be more stringent in our testing methods,'' he said.
Organic food growers, meanwhile, mooted a more holistic view on the EU ban, rather than merely looking at export figures.
"We are still driven by figures. If you look at the number of cancer cases that have increased dramatically in the past decade, one can clearly see a link with the consumption of pesticide-ridden food products,'' C Jayakumar, a trustee of Thanal, which runs an organic bazaar, said.
He said the state should instead promote the cultivation and consumption of organic food for its own citizens or else the cost for healthcare would exceed short-term economic gains.
Source:- timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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