High pesticide residue may hit exports

Cardamom exporters fear Japan's new minimum residual limit for agricultural products from May will hit exports as Indian cardamom contains high pesticide residue levels, dealers said. Cardamom export to Japan in 2005-06 (April-March) fell to 218 tonne from 257 tonne a year ago, a Spices Board official said.

Board officials don't attribute the fall in exports to high levels of pesticide residuals.

"Tests conducted in our quality laboratory have found pesticide residue within permissible limits," an official of the board said.

However, he said there may be odd cases where pesticide residues exceed permissible limits.

He said most growers do not use the board's residue testing facility as testing costs Rs 2,000 per sample.

According to a study by Thanal, a Thiruvananthapuram-based non-government organisation, use of pesticide in cardamom plantations has risen in the last decade.

The study, which covered Vandanmedu, a major cardamom growing area in Kerala, found the gap between two consecutive pesticide spraying has narrowed to 15-30 days, compared with 50-60 days in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Board recommends spraying at 30-day intervals for seven months a year. However, most growers spray pesticide throughout the year.

India mainly exports cardamom to West Asia and Japan, dealers said.

Guatemala has overtaken India as the world's leading cardamom producer and exporter.

India's 2005-06 (April-March) cardamom exports stood at 850 tonne, compared with 650 tonne in the previous year. In value terms, exports rose to Rs 27 crore from Rs 23 crore.