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First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe
Vol 46 | Issue 26
TM
4th November to 10th November 2017
Let noble thoughts come to us from every side
BASMATI RICE IMPORTS FROM INDIA TO FACE MAJOR SETBACK? regulation has likely been put forward to harm the Indian dominance on rice exports, handling it over to countries not using the pesticide. Indian Ambassador in Belgium, as quoted in The Sunday Telegraph, said the Commission took its decision on the basis of a “precautionary principle” without knowing the carcinogenic effect of Tricyclazole, a fungicide. This was confirmed by Waugh, who said that the
Charusmita
The Basmati rice producers have been ordered by the EU Commission to cut down levels of a chemical used in rice farming, pesticide Tricyclazole, to a hundredth of its current legal level, reducing the maximum residue level to the level of determination, 0.01ppm.
The chemical has been in use by the Indian rice farmers for decades, and they produce approximately 60 per cent of the world’s Basmati. The EU currently imports around 360,000 tonnes of basmati rice a year, of which 150,000 tonnes is directed to the UK. Current EU restrictions limiting traces to 1 mg/kg were already considered conservative compared to Japanese and US import limits of 3 mg/kg. The regulation came into force for all products except basmati rice on 30th June 2017; for Basmati rice it will enter into force on 30th December 2017. The regulation specifically provides
that the old limit of 1.0ppm will continue to apply to rice on the market (i.e. harvested or imported) prior to the entry into force. For the consumers, this means existing Basmati imports from India will remain on shelves as long as their best-before date. Any Basmati imported before January 2018 will be allowed into the EU, implying that there will be no recall of products from the shops. As Alex Waugh, Director of the Rice Association, confirmed,
the preamble to the regulation clarifies that this is to allow for “the normal marketing, processing and consumption of rice.” It also refers to the long shelf life of rice, and makes clear that the new regulation is intended to apply to future production, not past harvests. However, for the rice farmers, this news is not entirely a relief. As rice in India is harvested in the months of October and November, exporting on previously existing level to UK by January 2018 is
nearly impossible. Syed Kamall, Conservative MEP for London, said, “This could have a disastrous effect on farmers’ livelihoods in India, and at the same time we in Britain will end up paying more for our favourite rice.” There is no confirmation as yet on the price fluctuation of basmati imports from India. The Indian government earlier had said that it takes rice producers a minimum of three years to effectively modify their crops, and the abrupt EU
ban on imports was not because Tricyclazole was proven to be harmful, but because its effects in the long-term have not yet been studied. This is understandable, but it does raise questions on the timing of the ruling for raising the concerns over a chemical that has been in use for long and has not received medical complaints so far. Continued on pag 13
Young Nairobi Business Heir Slain
Bunty Shah
Kenya is no stranger to police brutality. Despite a string of law changes and post-independence politicians, policing seems to one force that remains the same. The country has a rich history of classic human violations, unlawful killings, and police beatings. A similar incident that occurred last week hit a little too close to home as Bunty Shah, young heir of the vast Bobmill empire was reportedly shot dead in his own home, by policemen. Continued on page 23