UK might set out to ban basmati rice from the new year if the use of pesticides cannot be controlled by the farmers in India.
The main issue is regarding the use of tricyclazole pesticide after the EU commission ordered manufacturers to reduce the amount being used. The limit is due to be slashed from one milligram to 0.01 milligram per kilo, a hundredth of its current legal level.
There is an uncertainty about revising the limits, although there is an expectation that the evaluation process by the EU commission and Food Safety Agency (FSA) could take up to 18 months.
India has put forward the argument that the new restrictions for the use of the pesticide, used to combat rice blast disease, are drastic in contrast to other markets. In the US and Japan, the limits are 3mg/kg compared to the EU restrictions of 1mg/kg.
The Indian government said the limited time in which rules have been implemented is not enough for farmers to adapt to their procedures.
India produces 60 per cent of the world’s basmati rice and accounts for 80 per cent of the EU’s imports.