The Tin Tuc (News) spoke with Nguyen Xuan Hong, director of the Plant Protection Department about measures taken to better manage the quality of agricultural products amid public concerns over food safety.
The public has showed great concerns over the warnings about pesticide residues in agricultural products (both imported and domestic products), could you describe the overall situation?
The use of chemicals for plant protection in Viet Nam and many other countries is very common at present. Despite the benefits it brings, the chemicals might leave residues that negatively affect users’ health if improperly used.
Among agricultural products, fresh vegetables and fruits are the ones with the highest risk of becoming unsafe due to the overuse of pesticides.
In developed countries such as the US, Australia or those in the Europe, about 40 to 50 percent of the samples taken from fresh fruits and vegetables still contain pesticide residue, but they are within permissible levels, only about 2-3 per cent of the samples showed residues beyond permissible level.
In Viet Nam, inspections for food safety have shown that about 7 – 8 percent of the samples taken from fresh fruits and vegetables contain residues beyond permissible levels. Compared to other countries within the region, Viet Nam is average.
What measures has the agriculture sector taken to combat the problem of unsafe vegetables and fruits?
The agriculture sector at both the central and local levels have made a lot of efforts in response to this problem, such as planning and developing models of producing safe vegetables and fruits following the VietGAP standards, which offer instructions to farmers on how to use pesticides in a safe and effective manner.
In addition, legal documents for the management of food safety and policies encouraging production of safe agricultural products have been issued and implemented step by step.
The offices for testing and analysing residues in plant protection chemicals, as well as the human resources required in this task, have been upgraded and given the required attention in order to meet the demand.
The agriculture sector’s efforts have made certain changes, but the risk of vegetables becoming unsafe still remains high, causing a great deal of public concern.
How have imported agricultural products, especially those of plant origins, been managed and protected to ensure their safety? Is further investment in equipment and machines needed in order to improve the testing quality?
Most of the agricultural products produced overseas are imported through official channels. They are imported after being tested by the relevant units of the Plant Protection Department.
However, it is very difficult to manage agricultural products that are brought to Viet Nam via unofficial channels. This is how substandard imported agricultural products get into the country.
The machines and equipment used for testing the pesticide residues and the staff performing the task are not perfect but good enough to meet the demands for food safety inspection. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News
