BIS working to raise number of test labs

“The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has begun country-wide mapping of testing labs. Not only BIS labs but also private labs, National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-approved labs and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labs,” the official stated.

Experts had pointed out that the European Union raised nearly 500 serious concerns over Indian agri-exports in the last two years alone. Mint earlier reported that Indonesia had suspended Indian agri shipments as New Delhi had failed to renew the registration requirements of its 26 food certification laboratories for peanuts and grapes.

Moreover, a number of Indian tea consignments were rejected by Taiwan and Iran due to phytosanitary issues and the presence of pesticides beyond permissible limits, two people aware of the development said.

“We only have two Efficient and Intelligent Computing (EIC) labs in the country—one in Kochi and another in Mumbai—and that has had a restrictive impact (on exports) as Europe only accepts EIC-cleared basmati rice. So if an exporter wants to ship out rice from Punjab, the sample has to be sent to Kochi or Mumbai lab. It is a time-consuming process,” said Vinod Kaul, senior executive director of All India Rice Exporters Association.

Kaul added that export rejection has been a serious problem as over 30 countries have a mandatory requirement of testing for pesticide residues.