DUBAI // Consumers on Wednesday expressed concern at reports that said unacceptable levels of pesticides had been found in some fruit and vegetables imported from India.
S Kumar, a 35-year-old Indian housewife, said: “I was under the impression that there were strong regulations in place.
“But after knowing that there can be pesticides in Indian vegetables and fruits, my confidence has been shaken. I hope UAE authorities never allow such poisonous fruits and vegetables to enter our kitchens.”
Akbar Khan, a 40-year-old Indian businessman, said: “I am worried now. Especially about my kids, what are they eating?
“We escape from India to avoid such things but it seems we land in the same situation.”
Dr Jameela Haq, a 25-year-old Pakistani resident of Dubai, said that she and her family preferred to buy Pakistani and Indian fruit because they are accustomed to the taste, but also because “the freshness of the product is much better in the wholesale markets, such as Al Aweer, compared to supermarkets. We are not sure to what extent quality and chemical composition are being checked but we generally trust the quality.
“We are aware of the importance given to health and safety in Dubai.”
But suppliers and retailers were quick to reassure consumers, saying imported items were repeatedly checked, from port of entry to the retail counter.
“There is a complete zero--tolerance policy among the authorities when it comes to allowing sub-standard products into the UAE market. Lots of certification is required to allow imported fruit and vegetables,” said Asif Ali, a supervisor at Floral Fruit, a UAE fruit and vegetable supplier.
Mr Ali, who has been in the fruit supply business for more than 20 years, said that at airport cargo areas and at Jebel Ali Port, authorities ran comprehensive and random checks on all consignments coming from exporting countries.
“Once they are cleared by the authorities, then we are allowed to take them to our warehouses at Al Aweer. And if they find even a slight problem, they reject the consignment,” he said.
Mr Ali said that the checking did not end there. “Dubai Municipality does regular, random checking and if they find anything sub-standard, then they charge us a penalty, ranging from Dh500 going up to thousands of dirhams,” he said.
Mr Ali, who receives more than 300 containers of fruit and vegetables from different parts of the world each month, said most of the fruit came from Europe and Australia and vegetables usually came from India.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has decided that chilli peppers, mangoes and cucumbers from India will not be allowed in the UAE “without a residue analysis report with each consignment” after the pesticides scare.
V Nandakumar, of LuLu Hypermarkets, said: “No one is allowed to [leave] the port of entry without all the clearance approval, including pesticide tests.”
He said consumers were “very much aware these days. If any shop offers poor quality, it will lose its customers”.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Scoreline
Chelsea 1
Azpilicueta (36')
West Ham United 1
Hernandez (73')
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
World Cup warm up matches
May 24 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Bristol; Sri Lanka v South Africa, Cardiff
May 25 England v Australia, Southampton; India v New Zealand, The Oval
May 26 South Africa v West Indies, Bristol; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Cardiff
May 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton; England v Afghanistan, The Oval
May 28 West Indies v New Zealand, Bristol; Bangladesh v India, Cardiff