COIMBATORE: Vegetable and fruits traders in Tamil Nadu are racing against time to obtain licences and registration certificates from the state food safety department to be eligible to transport and sell their produce in Kerala.
The state horticulture department in Coimbatore confirmed that 223 wholesale vegetable traders have been issued licenses and 30 small-scale wholesalers have been registered since Monday last week.
"We, along with the food safety department, have set up camps on and off in many markets like Thyagi Kumaram Market, Ottanchathiram Market, MGR Market, Mettupalayam Market and Pollachi Market," said deputy director of horticulture department, A Ramakrishnan.
The food safety department is conducting camps in all major fruits and vegetables markets in the districts to issue these mandatory permits. The move comes in the wake of its Kerala counterpart making food safety license or registration compulsory for any trader selling food items to or within the neighbouring state. A sizeable chunk of Tamil Nadu's fruit and vegetable produce is sent to Kerala daily. Coimbatore district alone sends about 200 tonnes of vegetables while Oddanchatram market in Dindigul supplies about 500 tonnes daily to Kerala. Kerala would start enforcing its order mandating the documents from traders from Wednesday.
The Kerala government has informed the traders that the food safety license or registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 will be demanded at all check-posts through which vegetables and fruits cross over into their state. However, officers in Kerala's side of the Walayar check post say that trucks were not inspected by food safety officers on Tuesday.
Wholesalers in markets who missed their date with food safety officers, are flocking to the food safety department's headquarters on Race Course Road to apply for these licenses. "We have put up notices in all the markets informing traders about this rule. So, many farmers and traders have been approaching us directly for licenses," said designated food safety officer, Dr R Kathiravan.
This rule had mixed response among big traders across the state. While a majority of the traders in Ottanchathiram market, in Dindigul, felt that the new license and registration was "unnecessary", a few traders in Coimbatore did not mind. "This could lead to unnecessary complications and more hassles for traders," said the president of the Ottanchathiram market, K Thangavel. "We do not know why such a measure is being taken all of a sudden, though we have sending vegetables for ages," he said. "However, this license qualifies us as "traders" and it will help during loan applications," he added.
Traders also said that making food safety licenses and registrations compulsory was not going to make their vegetables any safer. "For a food safety license, people just check for our tax receipts, address, location of the shop and the owner's identity proof. They don't even talk or check for pesticide content," said Thangavel.
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