PRTL detects pesticide residue in several samples of vegetables and fruits
   Date :25-Apr-2022

PRTL 
 
 
 
Staff Reporter
The Pesticide Residue Testing Laboratory (PRTL) at Nagpur has tested several samples in three years 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 and detected pesticide residue in several samples of vegetables and fruits.
The PRTL at Nagpur receives samples from various agencies, consumers, and Quality Control Inspectors. It then conducts laboratory test of these samples for 60 molecules, and detects pesticide residue in the given samples. Though it submits report of test to the party concerned, it does not issue any certificate. Also, initiating any legal or administrative action on the basis of inference of the tests does not come under the PRTL’s purview.
Nagpur-based activist Abhay Kolarkar sought information under Right to Information (RTI) Act from the office of Joint Director (Agriculture), Nagpur Division, regarding the testing of samples for pesticide residue. In response, he got he response that the PRTL at Nagpur had received 453 samples in 2019-20, followed by 450 samples in 2020-21, and 582 in 2021-22. In these three years, through testing of samples, PRTL earned revenue of Rs 10.21 lakh,
Rs 11 lakh, and Rs 5.40 lakh respectively.
In 2019-20, the laboratory detected pesticide residue in 36 samples. These samples included 12 samples of vegetables, one of turmeric, one of soyabean leaves, eight of fruits, and 14 of various pesticide brands (for pesticide concentration). The vegetables in which pesticide residue was detected included tomato, capsicum, cauliflower, brinjal, bottle gourd, chillo, fenugreek, cluster bean, and green peas. The fruit samples in which pesticide residue was detected included mango, sweet lime, grapes, guava, apple, and orange.
The next year, 2020-21, saw pesticide residue detected in orange. The PRTL also tested 10 pesticide samples for concentration that year. In 2021-22, pesticide residue was detected in four samples of vegetables (two each of capsicum and tomato) and one of fruit (grapes). Eight pesticide samples also were tested for concentration.
The pesticides of which residue was detected in vegetable and fruit samples included Benomyl, Ethion, Profenophos, Carbendazim, Emamectin Benzoate, Azoxystrobin-BQI, Imidacloprid-BQI, Difenoconazole-BQI, Carbosulfan, Famoxadone, Thiacloprid, Acetamiprid, Malathion, Monocrotophos, Quinalphos, Tebuconazole, Hexaconazole, Fenzaquin, Azoxystrobin, Methomyl, Propiconazole, Carbofuron in varying concentrations in different samples. However, as the PRTL report obtained under RTI Act by Kolarkar did not specify how much concentration was tolerable in samples, one could only say that pesticide residue was detected in these many samples.