BANGKOK: Fruit merchants in Satun province have called for relevant agencies to inspect imported fruits after they were not able to sell imported Shine Muscat grapes because of a recent report of 50 types of toxic residues.
The Thai-PAN (Pesticide Alert Network) announced chemical-residue tests on 24 grape samples collected from 15 different sales locations in Greater Bangkok on Thursday (Oct 24).
The tests indicated that each Shine Muscat grape sample contained between seven and 18 types of toxic residues, and 23 of 24 samples exceeded the legal limit for one to six types of toxic chemicals.
Some merchants at Muang Satun Municipal Market claimed on Monday that they were unable to sell Shine Muscat grapes even though they cut the price from 300 baht to 80 baht per kilogramme.
Merchants were forced to dispose of grapes in order to protect their stores’ image and ensure the safety of consumers.
However, they questioned why relevant agencies did not inspect the products before import.
Merchant Pranee Tantrakarnsakul said fears over toxic residues on Shine Muscat grapes had triggered an impact on sales.
She called for relevant agencies to inspect products before import, saying it was not the duty of merchants to seek chemical-residue tests.
“We could know the source of fruits if they are cultivated domestically,” she said.
Another merchant, Charas Piwlueang, said he had ordered a large amount of fruits to speculate on profits.
He also called for relevant agencies to deal with contaminated fruits in order to maintain fairness among merchants and consumers.
Foreign countries have conducted inspections to prevent low-quality products from entering their countries, he said. - The Nation/ANN
