SAMUEL KUTTY -
Muscat, April 26 -
The government has intensified laboratory tests of all agricultural produce to ensure they meet the safety standards.
“Health inspectors will periodically collect samples of vegetables and fruits and send them to central food and water laboratories for tests,” said a statement from the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources.
The statement follows reports that some agricultural produce exported to a neighbouring country were found to have pesticide contents above the permissible levels.
“Municipality inspectors, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, will jointly visit the central vegetable market twice a week to collect samples of the produce for quality tests at the reference laboratories,” said the statement.
Oman has very stringent rules for dealing with the issue of pesticides.
Officials from the ministries inspect agricultural holdings from time to time to ensure rules are followed.
“If anybody is found involved in the excess use of pesticides or any other offences as far as the food safety is concerned, they will face action based on the outcome of lab reports,” the statement added.
Oman’s agricultural products enjoy international reputation thanks to the commitment of their producers to good practices.
These products are exported to some countries that have stringent requirements such as Japan and some European countries. Oman was ranked second in the GCC for food security, availability and quality on Global Food Security Index 2016.
A statement from the Ministry had earlier said that occasionally it might happen that some farmers and agents export and re-export agricultural products without prior analysis. “This might have resulted in the finding of pesticide presence above the permissible levels,” the statement clarified.
The ministry of health of Qatar on Tuesday issued a circular ordering a ban on fruits and vegetable consignments from Lebanon, Oman, Egypt and Jordan for one month to measure the level of pesticide residues. The banned products from Oman are sweet melon, carrot, and watercress.
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