50 per cent of basic essentials in Maharashtra are procured from Punjab and Haryana — two states that are in the red on arsenic content in foods
A report tabled by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) last month, calling attention to high arsenic content found in vegetables and rice produced in 12 states of the country, has sent the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Confederation of Indian Horticulture and All India Vegetable Growers Association aflutter. All three bodies are now pooling their energies to come up with a plan to cap the damage caused to consumers. Alarm bells have gone off closer home as Maharashtra is known to procure 50 per cent of the goods from Punjab and Haryana — the two states that top the suspicious list. The state depends on Punjab for vegetables such as potato, lady's finger and green chilli. Other states on the list are Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam.
Following the alarming report, FDA is planning to rope in officials from the agriculture department and conduct awareness workshops and seminars. Avisit to New Delhi has also been planned. President of the Confederation of Indian Horticulture's Maharashtra chapter, Sopan Kanchan, said that a meeting to discuss the issue with Dr Ayyappan, director general of ICAR, has been scheduled for December 18, in the hope of finding remedial measures. "This is rather frightening. The common man's basic food platter seems to be in threat as large amounts of arsenic have been found in the produce from Punjab. We will discuss this with the ICAR officials," said Kanchan. He also added that both the ministry of agriculture and FDA must be watchful of the goods travelling into Maharashtra.
Southern India has been known to receive 400 trucks of potatoes every day between July and October, of which 50 per cent is dropped off in Maharashtra. "Potato is an essential item in every dish and we have been discussing the rise in the use of pesticides by Punjab and Haryana for the last two years. But, the government has not heeded our pleas. Now, with ICAR's recent find, I hope an action plan will be drawn up immediately," said Shriram Gadhave, president of All India Vegetables Growers Association, asserting that the association has been conducting awareness workshops for farmers and market yard associations on the presence of high arsenic contents in certain states. "We have always known that banned pesticides or high levels of chemicals were being used by certain states. But, we did not have proof like ICAR does now," he added.
Taking a leaf out of Gadhave's book, Uday Vanjari, state joint commissioner of FDA, drove home the point that when Mahesh Zagade was the chief commissioner, many seminars had been conducted on arsenic content in water and vegetables, given the rise in the numbers of lifestyle disorders like cancer and skin diseases, which are related to an inadvertent intake of arsenic. "Now that our suspicions have come true, thanks to the recent report, we will again conduct similar workshops to educate people about the illnesses caused by the intake of food laden with arsenic," said Vanjari.
Said Dr S Ayyappan, "Given the heightened presence of arsenic in states that are known to produce vegetables and whole grain in large quantities, we feel that FDA and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) must also intervene and help to come out with remedial measures." He stressed that a close watch be kept on goods arriving from the blacklisted states.
A senior officer from the state FDA, who did not wish to be named, said, "We would like to urge the officials from the ministry of agriculture to collect samples of materials and vegetables, sought from states that have crossed the permissible limit of arsenic content so that we can take some precautionary steps. Maharashtra's green produce is lush. But we need to know for sure if we must look within to fulfil our daily diet needs."
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According to Dr Vijay Ramanan, head of haematology at Ruby Hall Clinic, "Arsenic poisoning can lead to liver damages cardiac illnesses, leukaemia, low platelet count and so on." He said that the medical fraternity was witness to many patients who came with such illnesses that were known to be rooted in high arsenic levels. "Those who consume basmati rice and sea food are normally seen as being susceptible to some of these ailments. This is because to elongate the rice, farmers use pesticides beyond the permissible limit. A long-term intake of arsenic poison can cause various illnesses." Dr Abhijit Lodha, specilatist in toxicology and an infectious diseases expert, said, "We recently had three cases of sudden numbness and paralysis of limbs — all were rooted in the consumption of foods highly laden with arsenic. Arsenic content can lead to illnesses such as convulsions, mental agitation, encephalopathy, cancer, skin disorders, lack of concentration, insomnia, blood disorders among others."
█ We have always known that banned pesticides or high levels of chemicals were being used by certain states, but we did not have proof like ICAR does now
- SHRIRAM GADHAVE, President, All India Vegetables Growers Association
A report tabled by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) last month, calling attention to high arsenic content found in vegetables and rice produced in 12 states of the country, has sent the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Confederation of Indian Horticulture and All India Vegetable Growers Association aflutter. All three bodies are now pooling their energies to come up with a plan to cap the damage caused to consumers. Alarm bells have gone off closer home as Maharashtra is known to procure 50 per cent of the goods from Punjab and Haryana — the two states that top the suspicious list. The state depends on Punjab for vegetables such as potato, lady's finger and green chilli. Other states on the list are Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam.
Following the alarming report, FDA is planning to rope in officials from the agriculture department and conduct awareness workshops and seminars. Avisit to New Delhi has also been planned. President of the Confederation of Indian Horticulture's Maharashtra chapter, Sopan Kanchan, said that a meeting to discuss the issue with Dr Ayyappan, director general of ICAR, has been scheduled for December 18, in the hope of finding remedial measures. "This is rather frightening. The common man's basic food platter seems to be in threat as large amounts of arsenic have been found in the produce from Punjab. We will discuss this with the ICAR officials," said Kanchan. He also added that both the ministry of agriculture and FDA must be watchful of the goods travelling into Maharashtra.
Southern India has been known to receive 400 trucks of potatoes every day between July and October, of which 50 per cent is dropped off in Maharashtra. "Potato is an essential item in every dish and we have been discussing the rise in the use of pesticides by Punjab and Haryana for the last two years. But, the government has not heeded our pleas. Now, with ICAR's recent find, I hope an action plan will be drawn up immediately," said Shriram Gadhave, president of All India Vegetables Growers Association, asserting that the association has been conducting awareness workshops for farmers and market yard associations on the presence of high arsenic contents in certain states. "We have always known that banned pesticides or high levels of chemicals were being used by certain states. But, we did not have proof like ICAR does now," he added.
Taking a leaf out of Gadhave's book, Uday Vanjari, state joint commissioner of FDA, drove home the point that when Mahesh Zagade was the chief commissioner, many seminars had been conducted on arsenic content in water and vegetables, given the rise in the numbers of lifestyle disorders like cancer and skin diseases, which are related to an inadvertent intake of arsenic. "Now that our suspicions have come true, thanks to the recent report, we will again conduct similar workshops to educate people about the illnesses caused by the intake of food laden with arsenic," said Vanjari.
Said Dr S Ayyappan, "Given the heightened presence of arsenic in states that are known to produce vegetables and whole grain in large quantities, we feel that FDA and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) must also intervene and help to come out with remedial measures." He stressed that a close watch be kept on goods arriving from the blacklisted states.
A senior officer from the state FDA, who did not wish to be named, said, "We would like to urge the officials from the ministry of agriculture to collect samples of materials and vegetables, sought from states that have crossed the permissible limit of arsenic content so that we can take some precautionary steps. Maharashtra's green produce is lush. But we need to know for sure if we must look within to fulfil our daily diet needs."
DOCSPEAK
According to Dr Vijay Ramanan, head of haematology at Ruby Hall Clinic, "Arsenic poisoning can lead to liver damages cardiac illnesses, leukaemia, low platelet count and so on." He said that the medical fraternity was witness to many patients who came with such illnesses that were known to be rooted in high arsenic levels. "Those who consume basmati rice and sea food are normally seen as being susceptible to some of these ailments. This is because to elongate the rice, farmers use pesticides beyond the permissible limit. A long-term intake of arsenic poison can cause various illnesses." Dr Abhijit Lodha, specilatist in toxicology and an infectious diseases expert, said, "We recently had three cases of sudden numbness and paralysis of limbs — all were rooted in the consumption of foods highly laden with arsenic. Arsenic content can lead to illnesses such as convulsions, mental agitation, encephalopathy, cancer, skin disorders, lack of concentration, insomnia, blood disorders among others."
█ We have always known that banned pesticides or high levels of chemicals were being used by certain states, but we did not have proof like ICAR does now
- SHRIRAM GADHAVE, President, All India Vegetables Growers Association
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