ISLAMABAD: Maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides beyond permissible levels on rice are causing a major threat to the export competitiveness of Pakistani rice in major global markets such as the United States, European Union (EU) and Middle East.
This alarming fact was shared by experts in agri-trade, plant protection and food safety in a series of awareness-raising seminars organised in major rice growing areas in all the four provinces of Pakistan by the Ministry of Commerce and the International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva,
The traces pesticides leave in treated products are called residues. A MRL is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed when pesticides are applied correctly (Good Agricultural Practice).
Food safety and the responsible use of pesticides is a major public health consideration in developed and many emerging economies. Developed societies like USA, EU and Japan have zero tolerance for any violation of prescribed MRLs on foodstuff. A large number of countries follow the standards of food safety developed by these developed countries.
The ITC food safety and trade experts highlighted these facts in seven seminars on “Rice export and the challenge of pesticide MRLs” organised in Lahore, Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar, Naseerabad, Larkana and Swat.
Rice export has critical importance for the national economy, and Pakistan ranks amongst the top 10 rice producing countries globally. In terms of export value, rice is the biggest commodity after the textile sector. Major export destinations for Pakistani rice are the EU, USA, UAE, China, Saudi Arabia and Kenya. Pakistan’s annual rice export is approximately 4.0 million tonnes, valuing more than $2 billion, data shows.
Experts informed the stakeholders of the rice value chain in these seminars that the violation of MRLs has resulted in the interception of many consignments from Pakistan to major export destinations, especially the EU and the US.
According to the statistics available with the US and EU database, 160 consignments have been rejected during the last 10 years. The maximum rejection has been in the case of white rice amounting to 60%, followed by Sela rice (35%) and a 5% rejection rate has been observed in case of brown rice. Maximum rejections have been from Punjab followed by Sindh. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan have a negligible share since the use of pesticides on rice in these areas is comparatively lower.
The global multilateral agency responsible for food and feed safety, which is a joint body of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), called the Codex Alimentarius Commission, has the mandate to provide science based international food safety standards and codes of practice. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is recognised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as an international reference point for the resolution of food safety disputes.
The MRLs internationally applied are either CODEX (an international reference point for food safety) MRLs or nationally applied MRLs, which countries can individually relate. The Sanitary and PhytoSanitary (SPS) Agreement of the WTO permits members to implement any measures in addition to the CODEX standards for protection of animal, plant and human health. These measures, however, cannot be arbitrarily applied. They are required to be substantiated with proper scientific justification and can only be implemented to the extent needed to protect animal, plant and human health and life.
For this very reason, countries like the US and EU member states are maintaining a very strict national SPS regime. Other countries like Saudi Arabia are also following suit. Consequently, there exists a very low harmonisation level between national and international MRLs. Countries keep on reviewing their thresholds and changing the limits. The exporters, therefore, need to be aware of those changing regulatory regimes and defer to them.
For the purpose of transparency and predictability, the WTO has laid down a certain process of notifying these national MRLs through its SPS committee. The member countries notify the proposed revisions of limits well in advance in order to allow the trading partners to take appropriate steps to adhere to them once implemented.
Experts said in the wake of the global Covid-19 crisis, countries are becoming more conscious of health and safety concerns. They are reviewing their SPS regimes and implementing new standards every day. The MRLs in rice are no exception to this.
For Pakistan, violation of MRLs is posing a multi-dimensional threat. On the one hand, It is eroding its international competitiveness and on the other, the indiscriminate use of pesticides in food crops in general and rice in particular pose a serious threat to human life and security. This scenario necessitates a comprehensive national food safety and security strategy, which at the moment is lacking.
Conscious of this, the commerce ministry has decided to devise a national plan of action through a comprehensive consultative process. Supported by the ITC, Geneva, as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FDCO) UK funded Project Revenue Mobilisation Investment and Trade (ReMIT), the commerce ministry, on the directions of Adviser on Trade Razzak Dawood, has embarked upon a three-pronged strategy, officials said.
As a first step, ReMIT-ITC has conducted seven awareness seminars in partnership with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and provincial agriculture departments. The seminars targeted all stakeholders in the rice value chain such as growers, millers, exporters, pesticide companies/dealers and federal/provincial regulators of pesticide use and traders.
During the next phase, the scope of the awareness campaign for farmers, millers and pesticide dealers would be further broadened by using social and electronic media channels. Non-technical and easy to comprehend content would be developed and disseminated in this phase, officials said.
The intervention will culminate in the most important phase of addressing the existing regulatory gaps in the agriculture and rice sector. A national level meeting involving all stakeholders is expected to be convened shortly to devise short-, medium- and long-term plan of action.
Trade and food security experts believe that if Pakistan has to maintain its niche in the global rice trade and export more agro-products in the international market, it has to address the issue of safe and sustainable use of pesticides and other chemicals on its agriculture produce on a war footing.