Only 20 percent of imported fruit products are checked for chemicals and disease by officials from the two ministries concerned, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Many importers try to avoid contact with authorities anyway, accordingly to a senior official from the Plant Protection Centre, Mr Sithiphone Phommasack and illegally bring fruit in by boat and across local border where there are no officials to check goods
“In the past, we have found chemicals and poor quality imported fruit after we have inspected produce on sale but we have no measures to punish any wrong-doers like they have in developed countries,” said Mr Sithiphone. The country has formulated rules for plant management and protection but there are still many companies and fruit sellers importing produce without certification from the authorities.
To safeguard public health, he advised consumers to eat only high quality fruit by buying it from regular shops and to make sure they wash it thoroughly before eating and he called on importers to check the quality first before allowing it to go on sale.
Some domestic agricultural products such as vegetables and other cash crops also contain chemicals despite the agriculture and forestry sector paying closer attention to this problem. Commercial crops such as coffee, cassava, sugarcane and oranges being grown here are now sometimes found to be contaminated with disease and pests which never occurred in Laos before.The major reason we now have these problems is the uncontrolled importation of fruit and vegetable produce
The result of this is that the authorities have been unable to successfully implement the sanitary and phytosanitary measures required to raise the quality of local agricultural and forestry products to meet international standards of plant health, which would ensure that the produce was widely accepted for export.
The basic structure and technical facilities required, especially a laboratory with quality diagnostic equipment and vehicles, are still limited by budget constraints which prevent the necessary investment.
Many tonnes of Lao export produce were recently destroyed because pests and disease were found in vegetables sent to Thailand, England, France and Sweden, oranges and wood products to America and sweetcorn to China, according to the Agriculture and Foresty Department.
The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and in cooperation with international organisations, is currently encouraging the growing of better produce by Lao farmers for health and safety reasons.
Information Source: Vientiane Times Newspaper.
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