India bats for 'healthy' tag in grapes export.

India has locked horns with the European Commission (EC) over the use of non-tariff barriers to block the export of Indian grapes.

According to reliable sources, India has brought to the notice of the EC that while the European Food Standard Authority (EFSA) has declared these grapes absolutely safe for human consumption they are still not being cleared by some countries. The row has been sparked over minuscule traces of "chlormequat chloride residue" being reportedly found in some samples.

Sources disclose that EFSA's opinion on the issue was that "no acute consumer health risk is expected if table grapes with a mean chlormequat residue concentration of 1.06 mg per kg are consumed". Indian officials are of the view that this constitutes a clean chit for the grapes as the samples contained much lower quantities of residue than this threshold. However, instead of issuing a clear signal for allowing these grapes into Europe, the EC has left the decision to the member countries.

The EC authorities are reported to have accepted the fact that there is no food safety issue involved but at the same time stated that it is more of a "compliance" issue for which the member countries can take their own stand.

Indian officials point out that if there is no safety issue involved then the question of "compliance" does not arise. Logically, compliance has to be with the safety norms which the grapes fulfil. Since the EC has left the member nations to take their own decisions there is a lot of confusion at the ground level resulting in Indian exporters losing out as grapes are an easily perishable product.

The feedback that commerce ministry officials have got is that due to the confusion created over the issue, various European member nations are not following a uniform approach. Thus, while the UK is reported to have adopted a more positive approach towards Indian grapes, Germany has not shown the same degree of enthusiasm.

"The EC authorities have been requested to advise the member nations to allow the grapes to come into their markets as there is absolutely no food safety issue involved," a commerce ministry official said. Indian missions in Europe are also reported to be taking up the issue with individual nations as high quality grapes are being stopped from reaching the markets.

According to sources, the National Research Centre for Grapes in Pune as well as seven recognised laboratories run by the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have already started testing the grapes for the chlormequat residue since April 16 this year. So far, as many as 41 samples have been tested, out of which 36 samples conform to the minimum residue limit of 0.05 ppm, which reflects a compliance success of 88 per cent.

A senior official explained that chlormequat is not a pesticide but a plant hormone that enables to suppress the growth of the foliage in a vineyard and enables the grapes to absorb the more nutrients in the soil and grow bigger. S enior officials point out that ever since Indian grapes were blocked in Europe in 2001, the country has been subjecting all consignments to rigorous checks.

" At the time the controversy had arisen due to exporters from competing nations having raised doubts about Indian grapes but the air had been subsequently cleared," a senior Indian official said.

Brazilian exporters were widely suspected to have played a role in triggering the controversy at the time.

The current confusion also comes at a time when India and the EU are holding talks on a free trade agreement (FTA). In fact, an Indian trade delegation was in Brussels for the talks this week.

Source : India Today