Abu Dhabi: Authorities are trying to root out pesticides that are banned and past their expiry date as they pose a major threat to the safety of locally produced fruits and vegetables.
“We pay special attention to pesticides as they affect the food safety of the country, apart from being a health hazard to shopkeepers and others who handle them,” a senior official told Gulf News during an inspection campaign on Sunday.
This inspection and awareness campaign aims to confiscate and destroy pesticides that are banned and past their expiry dates, said Saeed Ali Al Yammahi, Head of Agricultural External Auditing at the Ministry of Environment and Water.
The campaign, jointly launched by the ministry, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (Adfca) and Abu Dhabi Department Economic Department, will target nurseries and shops in the emirate, to ensure that they follow rules and regulations on handling pesticides, fertilisers, growth promoters, seeds and saplings.
“Abu Dhabi has more than 300 such businesses — the largest number in the country. Officials from the three authorities will inspect all of them in three days,” Al Yammahi said.
He said this is to ensure the safety and high quality of local produce.
Although Abu Dhabi’s agriculture sector generates just one per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and less than 15 per cent of the fruits and vegetables available in local markets annually, the production has been going up in recent years. Abu Dhabi farmers are expected to produce over 38,800 tonnes of vegetables and fruits during the 2014-2015 farming season. This is up from 28,500 tonnes in the 2013-2014 season. The value of the local produce went up to over Dh65 million in 2014, up from Dh52 million in 2013.
Ganem Al Shamsi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of External Audit Sector at the ministry, said the campaign is part of the strategic objectives of the ministry to support sustainable local production, which is considered a key national responsibility.
Mohammad Jalal Al Raisi, Director of Communication and Community Service Division at Adfca, said the inspection is part of the authority’s objectives to ensure safety of food from farm to fork. The inspectors will check whether shop owners keep proper registers for supply and sale of fertilisers and pesticides,” he said.
Officials did not find any major violations at shops they inspected at Shahama in the presence of journalists. The outcome of the inspections across the emirate will be released later.
