Samples of vegetables, fruits and spices collected from the open market during a six-month period from October 2021 to March 2022 revealed the presence of pesticide residues, Minister for Agriculture P. Prasad said on Thursday, underscoring the need to step up vigil in this regard.
Over 40% of the samples revealed the presence of residues, Mr. Prasad said, speaking at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists. While the issue is not confined to agrticultural produce imported from other States, the Agriculture Department has also brought it to the notice of neighbouring states, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, he said.
In vegetables, pesticide residues were detected in 47% of the samples, while 44% of the samples of fruit and spices also revealed their presence, he said, citing the findings of the tests carried out by the Kerala Agricultural University laboratory at Vellayani. The tests also included samples collected from farmers, outlets selling organic produce and the Agriculture Department's Eco Shops.
''In the case of vegetables from the open market, 100 of the 201 samples revealed the presence of pesticide residues. Twelve out of the 66 samples collected from farmers, nine out of 57 samples from Eco Shops, and seven out of 35 samples collected from outlets selling organic produce also tested positive for residues.
In fruits from the open market, 13 out of 29 samples contained pesticide residues. The worst affected were apple, grapes and the banana varieties nendran, rasakadali and palayamkodan. However, pesticide residues were not detected in any of the fruit samples collected from Eco Shops and other organic outlets. Out of 87 samples of spices tested, 42 samples contained pesticide residues, he said. Their presence was highest in cardamom.
Increasing the internal production of pesticide-free vegetables and fruits is the only lasting solution to this problem, Mr. Prasad said. Under the ''Njangalum Krishiyilekku' campaign, 25,642 'Krishkootams' have been started against the targeted 10,000. Of this, 80% will focus on production, while the remaining 20% will be active in the areas of procurement, processing, value addition and marketing, the Minister said.
