India Hits Back At US, EU 
With Stringent Laws On Food Imports 

ASHOK B SHARMA / Financial Express (India) 16feb04

NEW DELHI, FEB 15: The Indian government, reacting to the continual rejection of its food consignment by the European Union and the United States on grounds of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, has begun the process of putting in place stringent laws to regulate imports of sub-standard products into the country. The new Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003, has become effective from this year.

The government’s new plant quarantine law for regulating imports has evoked varied and mixed responses in the domestic food industry. The domestic food industry is largely of the view that regulations in the country should be strengthened to facilitate upgradation and implementation of food safety standards. India should also develop expertise to challenge any SPS norms being used on flimsy grounds by the developed countries to check imports from the developing world.

Soft drinks, which has been in the thick of the controversy regarding contamination by pesticide residues, also appear in the list of the rejected consignments. The United Kingdom had rejected a consignment of Indian soft drinks for presence of colour sunset yellow-E 110.

According to recent reports, the European Union has rejected large consignments of hot chilli powder, red chilli crushed, hot chilli peppers, ground chilli, curry powder, south Indian curry powder, tandoori masala, spice mix, chilli sauce, spices containing chilli powder, dried apricots, Thompson seedless grapes, sun-ripened seedless grapes, white seedless grapes, frozen prawns, whole washed cuttlefish, frozen squid tentacles, squids and strips of squids, frozen raw peeled black tiger shrimps, black tiger shrimps skewer, black tiger shrimps (peeled and deveined), frozen prawn tails, frozen raw headless prawns, fish and meat seasoning, frozen baby octopus, egg powder, egg yolk powder, pasteurised spray dried hen whole egg powder and honey.

Chilli products including curry powders, sauce, and spices mix were rejected due to the presence of colour Sudan 1 and aflotoxins. Dried apricots were rejected due to the presence of sulphur dioxide. Grapes were rejected as they were found to contain methomyl, monocrotophos, acephate, methomidophos and monocrolophos. Prawns, cuttlefish and squids were found to contain cadmium, salmonelia, furazolidone, nitrofuran, nitrofurazone, mesophiles, cadmium and vibrie cholerae. Fish and meat seasoning was found to contain colour Sudan 1. Frozen baby octopus contained aerobic mesophiles. Egg and yolk power were rejected as it contained nitrofuran, nitrofurazone, furazolidone. Honey was found to contain nitrofuran.

Speaking to FE, the executive director of the Centre for International Trade in Agriculture and Agro-based Industries (CITA), Vijay Sardana said “there is a need to develop globally acceptable standards for food products in the country. There should be proper implementation of quality norms. There are cases were were different firms are obtaining fake HACCP certification. This malpractice needs to end.”

Mr Sardana also said that there are also reasons to believe that the developed countries have imposed unnecessary stringent SPS norms to deterimports from the Third World. India should examine these cases and take up such issues at the appropriate fora.

He also said “there are instances of sub-standard products entering the country unrecorded and in collaboration with customs official and importers. To cite an example, the US trade data shows grapes export to India to the tune of $3.2 million, whereas the data maintained by the Indian government show grapes import from the US at $0.19 million only in the period 2002-03. It is, therefore, clear that a substantial quantity of sub-standard grapes from the US has been imported through illegal channel, mainly at Nav Sheva port.”

Substantiating the poor quality of US grapes, Mr Sardana said, “the UK-based CAB International report has said that in the US, 206 pests are found in grapes while India has the lowest incidence of pests in grapes which are only 150 in number.” He said that there should be strict quarantine and SPS checks at every point of entry in the country.

Commenting on the new plant quarantine law to check imports of sub-standard plant and plant materials, Mr Sardana said, “there was no need for a new law. The government should have implemented the guidelines set by IPPC and OIE.” He alleged that the government has not conducted any test-risk analysis as recommended by IPPC before bringing in the new law. There is no mechanism to check whether the certificates submitted by importers are genuine and also there is no mechanism to monitor the Custom officials who are supposed to verify the certificates pertaining to imported products, he said.

He alleged, “there are reports of leakage of seized goods kept in the warehouses by customs officials. These seized goods which are of sub-standard quality enter the domestic market illegally.” He said that the law should make mandatory for the custom official to submit reports to the SPS authority in the country and the information of seized goods should be placed on the website. Government should insisting on labelling of all imported products clearly stating the country of origin.

Mr Amit Sachdev of Blue Cross Consultants said that the government acted in haste in bringing forth the new plant quarantine law for regulating imports. He said “the government did not consult with the stakeholder before formulating the new law. It did not invite suggestions from the public before notifying it in the official gazette. This, therefore, contravenes the WTO procedures.” He also said that the new law prescribes quarantine measures for packaging materials for non-food products which is totally unwarranted.

source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=52785 16feb04