SALEM: Stating that concerns over adulteration and sales outside the regulated marketing system are affecting consumer confidence, market prices and demand, factory owners and industry representatives in Salem have urged the food safety department to strengthen quality checks and enforcement in the sago industry. They have also called for the appointment of a dedicated food safety officer to monitor manufacturing units across the district.
Stakeholders said sago manufacturers were required to route their produce through the Salem Starch and Sago Manufacturers' Service Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd (SAGOSERVE), where it undergoes laboratory testing before sale. However, they alleged that some manufacturers bypassed the prescribed testing process by selling products directly or through intermediaries. They said such sales raised concerns over adulteration and weakened quality control across the industry.
A sago factory owner, on request of anonymity, said adulteration by some manufacturers was affecting the entire industry. "Curbing adulteration is key to improving demand for sago. When manufacturers sell adulterated products outside the regulated system, it undermines consumer confidence and affects the entire market, resulting in poor sales and falling prices," he said.
SAGOSERVE requires its members to sell sago through the society, where the produce undergoes 11 quality checks before being auctioned through an e-tender process.
According to an industry source, around 100 of SAGOSERVE's 334 registered members actively sell their produce through the society. Factory owners said stronger enforcement was needed to ensure manufacturers followed prescribed practices and that products available in the market met quality standards.
Industry representatives said regular inspections by the food safety department, supported by a dedicated officer for the sago sector, could help identify violations early and ensure closer monitoring of manufacturing units.
Farmers and manufacturers have also raised concerns over the use of chemical agents in sago processing, saying quality-related allegations could damage Salem's reputation as a major sago-producing centre. The district's soil and climatic conditions favour tapioca cultivation, while the crop's high starch content makes it suitable for sago production, they said.
The adulteration issue came to light in early August when a gas leak at a private sago factory in Sadasivapuram near Attur triggered a chemical reaction, injuring 10 workers and a firefighter. During the subsequent inspection, officials found chemicals not approved by the food safety department stored for use at the unit. The factory was later sealed, and the chemicals were shifted to a waste treatment facility. Farmers said the incident had raised expectations of follow-up inspections at sago units across the district, but no such checks had not been carried out.
Farmer M G Rajendran said periodic inspections were essential to identify violations and protect the industry's reputation. He said a dedicated officer could ensure more focused monitoring and help prevent irregularities.
A senior SAGOSERVE representative said the society was primarily a marketing and facilitation body, not an enforcement agency.
The representative said SAGOSERVE could impose nominal fines ranging from `5 to `50 per consignment on members selling outside its system, while enforcement against food safety violations rested entirely with the food safety department.
