Oman, UAE hold talks to stop farm exports with high toxic content

MUSCAT: Top officials from the agriculture ministries of Oman and the United Arab Emirates have held talks to prevent the export of products from Oman that contain pesticides higher than the permitted level.
A few months ago, United Arab Emirates (UAE) border control officers had stopped the entry of Omani farm products for allegedly containing high pesticide levels, which prompted talks between top ministry officials to prevent such cases in the future.
“After the incident, we gathered together farmers, raised awareness and educated them about the correct procedures to follow when applying pesticides,” said a top ministry official.
“We would then take random samples of crops and test them to see if they comply with the international standards,” he added.
However, it was later revealed that some farmers could not produce the required documents to prove that they did not use any of the 18 prohibited pesticides, as required by the UAE.
“What happened is far from the truth. The products were denied entry because the exporter did not have the required documents that ensures that the products contain safe amounts of pesticides, according to the international standards,” said an official from the ministry.
“This is an operational procedure in which the UAE requested that several countries comply, including Oman, and have documents that prove that products are free from 18 kinds of banned pesticides,” added the official.
He also said this is a rare case and that 90 per cent of products pass across the border without trouble, since all documents are supplied.
When asked why some exports were denied entry to the UAE, though these products were approved in Oman, the official said some farmers attempted to deceive officials and did not have their farm produce tested.
“It is clear that they had something to hide. They avoided getting the checks performed on their products and, subsequently, did not obtain the certificates approving their products. They tried to export their products without having them inspected by Omani authorities, and the UAE officials caught them,” said the official.
“Their pesticide limits were higher than the international standards, so the products were destroyed. Legal action has been taken against the farmers, as well,” he added.