Union Minister of State for Health Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav on Thursday emphasized the need for a nationwide strategy for stricter monitoring of pesticide residues in food and urged all stakeholders to work collectively in promoting best practices for food safety and sustainability.
Speaking at the National Stakeholder Consultation on Challenges in Monitoring Pesticide Residues in Food Commodities organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), he said this is first in the series of such consultations with stakeholders on emerging issues like sustainable packaging, nutraceuticals and antimicrobial resistance etc.
Stressing on the need to review existing practices in pesticide monitoring and to create a robust mechanism to address the challenges of pesticide residue, the Minister pointed out the importance of agriculture in sustaining millions of livelihoods and ensuring food security.
“Today’s farmers are more adaptive towards the use of new technology. Therefore, it is easier to educate them on use of pesticides and about good agricultural practices (GAPs),” Jadhav said.
He also advocated for collaborative efforts from all the stakeholders to devise a concrete action plan to minimise pesticide residues in food commodities.
The Minister said that the consultation would prove instrumental in identification of gaps, which can then be focused and deliberated upon to develop a robust mechanism of food safety and make food commodities free of pesticide residue.
In her address, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava emphasised that the indiscriminate use of pesticides poses significant risks to public health.
She stressed the importance of strengthening monitoring systems and raising public awareness about pesticide use, ensuring that every person has access to safe food. She also advocated for the development of actionable strategies aimed at protecting public health, underscoring that the primary goal of this consultation is to ensure that everyone can enjoy safe and healthy food.