Don't ban transport of wet sago starch: Food safety official

SALEM: The commissioner of Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (TNFSDAD), Kumar Jayant, has ordered collectors and designated officers of Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Erode, Trichy, Villupuram and Perambalur, not to impose the proposed ban on transportation of wet sago starch. The managing director of Sagoserve, V Santha, was also served the same order. According to TNFSDAD sources, the commissioner made it clear in the letter that the proposed ban does not apply to intermediate products.

On May 16 this year, the MD of Sagoserve had convened a meeting with various designated officers. of TNFSDAD, managing committee members, joint commissioner (enforcement) of Commercial Tax department, pollution control board engineer and sago manufacturers and traders.

The objective of the meeting was to come up with a plan to produce adulteration-free natural sago.

Five resolutions had been passed. Among them, sago should not be produced from dirty sago starch, maize starch should not be adulterated with sago starch, wet sago should not be transported, chemicals should not be used to make white sago and sales tax must be paid.

Subsequently, Sagoserve sent a recommendation letter to the state government to impose a ban on transport of wet sago. According to Sagoserve sources, the wet sago could easily be adulterated. Thus, they wanted a ban on its transport.

However, tapioca farmers and sago manufacturers submitted a petition to Namakkal collector V Dakshinamoorthy, condemning the proposed ban, on June 26. According to the petitioners, water is essential to extract sago starch from tapioca.

"Many s don't have sufficient water. On the other hand, sago producers have plenty of water. They would have no trouble extracting sago starch from tapioca and transporting the same to sago producing units. Thus, all sago makers would get sufficient business," said one sago producer on condition of anonymity. If the ban is imposed, only those units that have adequate water would be able to function, he added.

The collector received the petition and forwarded it to the commissioner of TNFSDAD for further action.

The food safety commissioner in turn ordered the collectors and Sagoserve not to impose the proposed ban.

In his letter, Kumar Jayant said that wet starch is an intermediate product and it can be used either as a food product or as an industrial product. He also directed the concerned officials to ensure that the sago is produced as per food safety and standards act norms.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Tapioca and Natural Sago Manufacturers Association (TNTNSMA) strongly condemned the commissioner's order. "TNTNSMA has been struggling to curb adulteration in the sago industry. The commissioner's recent order would only encourage adulteration," said R Muthulingam, president of the association. He also said that any chemicals can be mixed with wet sago starch if they transported from one place to another. He also alleged that, using this decision, the sago starch producers will sale their produce illegally and will evade from sales and commercial taxes.