PFA destroys poisonous vegetable crops

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority in its ongoing drive against elimination of poisonous vegetable crops discarded thousands of kilograms vegetables cultivated on 546 kanal lands across the Punjab province on Monday.

The authority has decided to register a case against farmer and landowner in case vegetables are found cultivated with polluted water. In this regard, PFA Director General Noorul Amin Mengal has directed all operation teams for bringing swiftness in their work against them. He said that PFA will discard harmful vegetables before the holy month of Ramazan.

Operation was carried out from Lahore to Rahimyar Khan and Rajanpur to Attock Districts by covering all districts of the province. The teams inspected more than 8,000 kanal land among over 3,000 kanal land in Lahore and its adjacent areas. Industrial waste and sewage treated vegetables were cultivated on the area of 189 kanal in Lahore, 146 kanal in Rawalpindi, 64 kanal in Vehari, 24 kanal in Lodhran, 39 kanal in Multan, 23 kanal in Rajanpur, 20 kanal in Muzaffargarh and 10 kanal in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Food safety teams of PFA destroyed different crops, including green chili, tomato, spinach, pumpkin, bottle gourd, onion and other vegetables. The PFA DG said such poisonous crops are cause of hepatitis and other diseases in consumers.