Indian Food Authority will check Vietnam Imported Pepper for contamination
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently has given orders its nodal offices to test Vietnam imported pepper for any contamination.
Raj Kumar, FSSAI’s joint director said the authority had received information that Vietnamese pepper which comes through Srilanka is contaminated with high pesticide residue.
The development comes at a time pepper growers have raised concerns over cheap and low-quality imports. The industry has requested the government to fix a minimum import price (MIP).
According to reports, pepper imports in general attract a duty of 70 per cent. Under an Asean agreement, a duty of 54 per cent is levied on pepper imported from Vietnam. But pepper from Sri Lanka attracts a duty of just 8 per cent under free trade agreement (FTA).
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