Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday issued a statement saying the shipment of bananas that was rejected by Japan early this month might have been contaminated by nearby fields. Japan Customs had destroyed the shipment of 450 crates of bananas after tests showed that the fruit contained 0.02 parts per million (ppm) of Decis, COA Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih said during a news conference.
As the local standard for Decis residue is 0.2ppm, the council believes that the shipment to Japan might have been exposed to insecticide residues from neighboring fields, he added. Since the tests revealed only a small amount of the substance, the council is confident that Japan would not increase testing protocols on imports of Taiwanese bananas, he said, urging farmers not to worry.
Taiwanese bananas are already under heightened scrutiny in Japan after a 750-crate shipment last month was found to contain 0.12ppm of Pyraclostrobin, or six times over the legal limit.
Source: taipeitimes.com