Mangoes, chilli peppers and cucumbers imported from India must have ‘a residue analysis report’. Ravindranath K / The National
Mangoes, chilli peppers and cucumbers imported from India must have ‘a residue analysis report’. Ravindranath K / The National

Consumers worry about pesticides



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

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