THRISSUR: Vegetables grown in the state are safer than those brought from other states, indicates the report on pesticides’ resides in vegetable samples collected from markets in all the districts in the state. A total of 188 samples were collected and tested as per the directive of the Agricultural Minister. While 172 of the samples (91.5 per cent) were found to be safe to eat, the remaining 16 samples(8.5 per cent) showed presence of harmful pesticides.
The tests conducted at the Pesticides Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory of Kerala Agricultural University found that the samples of brinjal, snake gourd, bitter gourd, ladies finger, tomato, potato, onion (big and small), carrot, yam and cole collected from markets across the state are found free of pesticide residues. But samples of beans, curry leaves, mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilli and beetroot, coming from the neighbouring states, contained residues of banned pesticides like Profenophos, Chlorpyrifos, Triazophos, Phenothrin, Lambdacyhalothrin, and Cyfluthrin in alarming levels.
According to the report, the various projects executed by the agricultural department have helped in production of pesticides-free vegetables in the state.
It is for the first time that such a massive test, taking samples from all districts, was conducted in the state. The samples were collected by the Food Safety Department and the test were conduced at the Pesticide Residual Research and Analytical Laboratory in Vellayani, T’puram.
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