Health Ministry: Have not received ‘mango alert’, probing whether imported

Health Ministry, on Thursday, states it is investigating whether mangoes imported from India have entered the Maldivian market following import bans imposed by several countries over concerns about hazardous levels of chemical pesticides, adding local authorities have not yet received notification from any international authorities regarding the matter.

Countries including Nepal and Japan have already banned the import of Indian mangoes and several other fruits after detecting pesticide residues at levels considered harmful to human health.

Responding to inquiries from Sun regarding potential safety measures in the Maldives, the Ministry said the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has not received an official "mango alert" from international food safety agencies.

However, the Ministry confirmed that the MFDA is proactively assessing whether any of the batches in question have been imported into the Maldives.

India remains one of the Maldives’ principal sources of imported fruits and vegetables.

Addressing measures adopted by other countries, Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development stated that it has maintained heightened surveillance and implemented restrictive measures on Indian fruit imports since April and May this year.

Meanwhile, Japanese quarantine authorities who inspected Indian treatment facilities earlier this year reported significant shortcomings in health safety standards and pest control procedures at those facilities.