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Horticulture Produce Needs to Be Graded

Horticulture Produce  Needs to Be Graded
Horticulture Produce  Needs to Be Graded

The amount of pesticide levels in fruits is still ambiguous. The ministries of health and agriculture are mainly responsible to grade horticulture produce, the deputy head of the Majlis Health Committee Abdolrahman Rostamian says.

Harmful pesticide use must be reduced and if such a policy is not adopted, parliament will have no choice but to take necessary action against the ministers and officials responsible, he noted. Imported fruits are no better than home grown produce, and are also ridden with toxic pesticides. The issue must be sorted out once and for all, he added.

To assess pesticide levels in fruits, the produce first needs to be graded and studied. It is necessary to clarify the amount of toxic pesticide residue in fruits and to do so the grading process needs to begin at farms. Studies will indicate the pesticide levels. If high and above the norm, “they would be harmful and this will help identify the core reason for such high levels of toxicity,” ILNA reported him as saying.

 Organic Production

The lawmaker  however maintained that such a procedure is not feasible for the time being as the “available data are not congruous with the facts of the matter.” The ministries concerned, however, have been asked to submit reports every six months to the parliament’s health committee, he said.

In line with Iran’s Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2011-2016), organic fruit production would increase to 25 percent.

The MP noted that the health committee had not yet formally touched on the issue of fruit waxing; however, the use of paraffin waxes has been ruled out. “Authorities of organizations setting the standards and corresponding ministries must address the matter,” he added.

Financialtribune.com