Market access: Call to formulate food safety law

“In 2010, 27 export consignments were rejected by EU countries and 175 by the US,” says Dr Ali Abbas Qazilbash.

ISLAMABAD: The establishment of a monitoring watchdog and law to ensure food safety, animal and plant health has become all the more necessary to better access the world market in the face of rejection of contaminated Pakistan’s products in recent years. These views were expressed by experts at a conference held here on Monday. Expressing concern over rejection of Pakistan’s consignments by world markets, including European, American and Australian markets, an expert said pesticide residue in horticulture products was one of the main reasons for these rejections in the past two years. “In 2010, 27 export consignments were rejected by EU countries and 175 by the US,” said Dr Ali Abbas Qazilbash, Officer-in-Charge of Trade Related Technical Assistance (TRTA-II) programme.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2012.