Ministry to follow up UAE ban on farm products

*Tender floated for a laboratory to monitor pesticide limits Observer Online The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has issued a statement on reports about the UAE banning the import of agricultural products from the Sultanate of Oman and other countries due to the presence of pesticide that exceed the permissible limits. The ministry said that an agreement signed with the UAE five years ago requires a certificate on pesticide residues to be attached to a number of exported crops such as eggplant, melon, paprika, pumpkin, carrots and melons. The certificate for tomato exports is valid till date. The measures taken by the ministry led to positive results with regards to limit the presence of pesticides in local products within the permissible levels, the latest of which was implemented during 2016. The experts analyzed over 1,600 samples of farm products and issued pesticide residue analysis certificates from specialized laboratories. It was proved from these analyzes that 98 per cent of the samples conform to the internationally permissible limits. There have been cases of occasional excesses from some farmers or exporters in the export (or re-export) of agricultural products, which were found prior to export. These issues are taken up immediately and followed up to find out their original source depending on the speed of the information provided from the UAE side. As part of its efforts to find out details about this subject, the Ministry will contact the competent authorities in UAE to learn the rationale and details related to the developments and resolve this problem. It may be note d that the Omani agricultural products have a good international reputation as the producers are committed to good practices and are exported to countries that have strict requirements such as Japan and some European markets. As a result of efforts to improve the quality of agricultural products in Oman, a tender has been floated for the operation of a Phytosanitary Laboratory by the private parties, including a specialized department that will control the quality of agricultural products and pesticides.