If the test report from Pesticide Residue Analytical Laboratory at Vellayani has any indication, farmers in the State have learnt to control the use of pesticides in vegetable farming.
The report released by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) says that 93.6% of 543 vegetable samples collected by Department of Agriculture from different districts during the period from January to December 2017 have been found safe to eat.
While all the samples from Kottayam, Wayanad and Kannur have been found fully safe, samples of a few vegetable items collected from other districts are found to contain residues of hazardous pesticides above permissible level.
Green chilly and Vegetable cowpea from the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kasargod figure in the danger list. Two samples each of Amaranthus, Snakegourd, Cabbage, Beans and Fodder cowpea as well as one sample each of Yellow Capsicum ,Curry leaf, and Bajji Chilly collected from Thiruvananthapuram district, Ivygourd from Kollam district, Curry leaf from Alappuzha, Broad beans samples from Palakkad, and Beans from Idukki have been found to contain pesticide residue above permissible level. The contents of trimonthly reports also concur with that of consolidated annual report.
KAU sources said that the remarkable reduction in contaminated vegetable samples confirmed that the use of hazardous chemicals in vegetable cultivation had come down, thanks to the public awareness created by regular reports of pesticide residue analysis.
The isolated incidences of pesticide residue is attributed to lack of awareness on the part of a rural farmers and hence the farming community is advised to use pesticides only under expert guidance.
With the new pesticide residue analytical labs at Padannakkad in Kasargod district, Velllanikkara in Thrissur district, and Kumarakom in Kottayam district set to become fully functional, more effective scrutiny of vegetable samples will be feasible. Farmers also could get their samples checked at KAU laboratories, the KAU sources said.
