Ministry of Agriculture tightens control on chilli import
MUAR: The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro- based Industry ( MOA) is tightening control on the import of chillies that do not meet the standards on quality, safety and other regulations relating to pesticide residues, said its minister, Datuk Salahuddin Ayub.
He said the government had suspended the import permit ( IP) for Vietnamese red chilli since last Sept 14 after the they were found to contain pesticide residues above the permissible level, but the commodity was still found in the local market.
Since then, he said, the ministry, through the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection services ( MAQIS), had also been working with the Customs Department and the Health Ministry to prevent the entry of imported chilli into the country.
“A new case was reported last Dec 17, where MAQIS detained three containers in Port Klang that with Vietnamese chilli and dragon fruit without valid import permit,” he said, adding that there were 14,250 kg of Vietnamese chilli in each container.
He said this to reporters after a Back to School programme organised by Agro Bank for students in the Simpang Jeram state constituency here yesterday.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health confirmed that a small sample of chillies sold in local markets did not comply with the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 on pesticide residue. — Bernama