Paraguay renews pesticide residue control system for banana crops

 

The Paraguayan National Plant and Seed Quality and Safety Service (Senave) has announced the update of its pesticide residue control system for banana cultivation. The goal, according to the government agency, is "to improve the quality and safety of vegetable products for export".

 

The same method will be used for banana crops, which saw positive results in the inspection of sesame crops. With this, the Paraguayans say, it is intended that banana production can enter international markets without the presence of pesticide residues. The main concern is to make adjustments and ensure the quality of tests for the determination of the fungus causing Black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis), as well as Ralstonia bacteria, by analyzing the symptoms in the field.

 

Senave Laboratories experts will go to banana farms and packaging plants to apply the new waste verification techniques with samples collected at the site. The initiative is part of the Small Farmers' Export Security Improvement Project (INOPAR).

 

The procedure begins with the submission of the producer's request for sampling to determine the presence of chemical residues. It also includes prior tasks, such as the preparation of safety and work equipment for technicians, as well as all documentation and definitions of those responsible for the crop. The work also defines how, when and where samples will be taken to be sent to the laboratory, where the phytosanitary inspection is to be carried out, which will later release the batch for export.

 

Agronomist Luis Lopez, head of the Senave Specialized Sampling Laboratory Department, has said that the successful model used in sesame crops exported to Japan will be copied. He added that the same method will be applied to pineapple, and then other Paraguayan crops.