THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A report by Kerala Agriculture University (KAU) states that indiscriminate sale and use of pesticides need to be controlled. Several samples collected from markets, organic shops and eco-shops contained pesticides which are not suitable for the crop. Hence, it becomes difficult to ascertain if the pesticide used was above the limit prescribed. The 46th report of ‘Safe to Eat’ project however points out that pesticide residue level in vegetables, fruits and spices sold in the market has come down due to increased awareness.
The report found that among the 729 samples collected, pesticide residue was found in 17 per cent of vegetables, 19 per cent of fruits and 50 per cent of spices collected from the market. All samples of green grapes, fennel and cumin were found to have high levels of pesticide residue. Green grape samples contained pesticide residue including Profenofos which has been banned in the state. Fennel seeds and cumin samples showed farmers used eight types of pesticides which are not recommended for the crop.
Curry leaves, which earned notoriety for high pesticide residue in previous studies, fared better this time. Curry leaves produced domestically are safe according to the report. But samples collected from the market showed around 10 types of pesticide residue.
The study highlighted that the fruits and vegetables sold at eco-shops had less pesticide residue when compared to organic shops.
Nine out of 36 vegetable samples collected from organic shops contain pesticides - that is about 25 per cent. Fruits and spices sold under organic labels did not have pesticide residue. Vegetables sold at eco-shops are relatively harmless with just 10.16 per cent residue.
The project, ‘Production and Marketing of Safe to Eat Vegetables’, was started in January 2013 by the Agriculture Department with the help of the Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory (PRRAL) at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani.