RTI query reveals pesticide residues in organic produce

Between January 2012 and October 2014, out of 150 samples of organic vegetables, 50 samples were detected with pesticide residues

According to the ministry of agriculture, total organic production in the country is estimated at 1.24 million tonnes grown in an area spanning 723,000 hectare. 

New Delhi: A Right to Information (RTI) query filed with the ministry of agriculture has revealed the presence of pesticides—in some cases above permissible limits—in vegetables sold as organic or free of chemicals. But the Delhi retailer named in the RTI information protested that the vegetables came from a supplier endorsed by a government-approved certifier.

The RTI query reveals that between January 2012 and October 2014, 150 samples of organic vegetables were analysed for pesticide residues—of these, 50 samples, or 33%, were detected with pesticide residues, while 10, or 6.6%, were found to have residues above the maximum residue level.

The information provided under the RTI is based on samples collected and analysed by the All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues (AINPPR) under the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi. However, all 150 samples were collected from The Altitude Store, a Delhi-based retailer of organic produce.

According to information revealed under the RTI, the most commonly detected pesticides are acetamiprid, chlorpyrifos, cepermethrin, flubendiamide and profenofos. Samples of cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum, brinjal, green pea, bitter gourd and okra were found to have residues above the maximum residue level.

The information raises concern regarding the quality of organic produce in India, which remains largely unregulated. Retailers often depend on private certifiers or trust their suppliers’ word that the produce is chemical-free. However, the fact that all samples were collected from a single shop in the National Capital points to a non-representative sample.

“We are in the process of collecting data on pesticide residues through 15 laboratories across the country. In Delhi, since there aren’t many organic retailers, we collected samples from one store,” said K.K. Sharma, network coordinator of AINPPR.

The RTI was filed by the Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI), an association of agrochemical industries such as pesticide manufacturers.

“The presence of pesticides in produce sold as organic means there is no regulatory check. Customers are being cheated and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has not punished a single violator for selling fake organic products,” said S. Ganesan, an adviser to CCFI. “We also asked the ministry for details of pesticide residues in imported agricultural produce, but the RTI reply states that no such information is available,” he added.

According to the ministry of agriculture, total organic production in the country is estimated at 1.24 million tonnes grown in an area spanning 723,000 hectare. Currently, 12 states are engaged in organic farming, and two—Sikkim and Mizoram—are likely to become fully organic in a few years.

“The organic vegetables with pesticide residues were sourced from a certified supplier in Sonipat, Haryana,” said Ayesha Grewal, owner of The Altitude Store. “The supplier had a certification from Ecocert, one of the largest organic certifiers in the country approved by Apeda (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority). As a retailer or consumer, if I cannot trust a government-approved certifier who do I fall back on?” asked Grewal.

She said that AINPPR had not bothered to share the results on pesticide residues with the store. “Some months back, we stopped sourcing from the supplier in Haryana—but due to lack of quality and consistency; we were unaware of the presence of pesticide residues,” added Grewal.