Plant Quarantine & Climate Change
India is the largest importer of pulses in spite of being the second largest producer of pulses. Import of food and agriculture products are subject to strict plant quarantine restrictions. Plant related diseases are very difficult to contain because they
Plant Quarantine & Climate Change
India is the largest importer of pulses in spite of being the second largest producer of pulses. Import of food and agriculture products are subject to strict plant quarantine restrictions. Plant related diseases are very difficult to contain because they spread rapidly through air and various other vectors. Moreover they are region specific and travel borders through trade between such borders. Countries have huge financial budgets only to develop disease resistant food crops and hence in event of this limitation, countries cannot afford to invite new disease forms through import of food and agriculture products. Foreign consignment of pulses when reaches the Indian shores, may spread pests in the air which can reach Indian farms and it is a huge exercise to deal with such infestations. Importing absolutely pest free farm produce to India needs treatment such as fumigation and irradiation. These treatments are termed as phytosanitary treatments. The main constituent used in fumigation is the MeBr treatment. The Me Br or methyl bromide gains weight over many others due to its non-inflammable and non-explosive property under ordinary circumstances. It is also less toxic than the other fumigants. However, serious demerit of Methyl bromide is that it is readily photolyzed in the atmosphere to release elemental bromine, which is far more destructive to stratospheric ozone than chlorine. As such, it is subject to phase-out requirements of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances. Ozone level depletion has had very serious effects of global warming leading to climate change. Moreover, In India farmers are the worst affected by climate change. Irregularity in moisture balance has led to confusion in planting crops which could yield steady returns. This has led large number of farming communities move towards cities in search of steady income and jobs. Thus, Methyl bromide (MB), a chemical fumigant that is highly effective against pests, its identification as an important atmospheric ozone-depleting substance has made the industry look seriously for an alternative. A probable alternate is the irradiation treatment.
Every country conducts Import Risk Analysis (PRA) of a commodity before allowing its import from a specific country. Under this Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), identifies the pests of quarantine importance that is likely to enter into their country. Further analysis is made to identify measures or treatments which could mitigate these pests, if possible. Such treatments, one or more, are specified to be carried out offshore to keep the pests at bay.
The National Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 11 (NSPM 11) – Quarantine Treatments and Application Procedures has suggested Methyl Bromide Fumigation which has been developed by Government of India to provide guidance on quarantine treatments and application procedures for the approved fumigation agencies (Pest Control Operators). National Standard (NSPM 12) has also been developed for accreditation of these Phytosanitary Treatment Providers who have been authorized to undertake fumigation with Methyl bromide.
In 2004, India imposed a non-tariff barrier requiring all imported legumes to be fumigated with MeBr and certified free of bruchids. However, most phytosanitary uses of MeBr were phased out in 2005 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol. In addition, MeBr fumigation is only practical at treatment temperatures ≥5oC. This issue is concerned with climate change. Slow process of testing and implementing an alternative to comply with such phytosanitary measures is proving to be another issue. The irradiation treatment needs to be looked into seriously which offers several benefits over chemical fumigation. Moreover, Irradiation reaches the very nuclear material of the microorganism killing not only the anti-nutritional content of the grains but at the same time stopping any form of replication of the microorganism.
More than 100 countries have adopted irradiation technology and about 60 different irradiated food products. Food irradiation of foods has been approved by the CODEX, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Food Standards Australia New Zealand, American Medical Association, the Institute of Food Technologists, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),World Health Organization (WHO). As per the CODEX, the foods having moisture content of less than 12% can be re-irradiated if the objective was not achieved. The CODEX and FAO recommends the use of gamma irradiation for cereals.
Thus application of irradiation has shown promising results in extending the shelf life of cereals and pulses by disinfestation and preventing microbial growth. Irradiation has also resulted in increased antioxidant properties besides decreasing the anti-nutritional content of the grains. The food industry tends to be reluctant to use the technology in view of uncertainties regarding consumer acceptance of treated foods. This includes trust in regulators and producers and risk perception associated w