March 23, 2002	Saturday	Muharram 8, 1423

ISLAMABAD, March 22: Ministry of Commerce has asked the Central Board of Revenue to investigate on priority basis the import of infested chillies from India and stop the release of consignments of chillies not fit for human consumption, it was reliably learnt here on Friday.

The action was taken on a fax message received from Sialkot- based organization —Farmers & Dealers (Agri-Produce) Forum— alleging that the red chillies imported recently from India were diseased.

Nevertheless, it subsequently alleged, the Customs Department had released 150 tons of the Indian chillies, while another consignment of 500 tons was lying at Karachi Port and that their release process was under way.

The situation is rather complicated because Dawn has learnt reliably that the Customs Department had declared the chillies to be safe. But the Karachi Laboratories Complex of Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) in its report stated that the samples, which were sent to them by the Farmers & Dealers Forum, were infected by fungi.

A senior Government official also told this Correspondent that he had since contacted various authorities in India who had affirmed that unexpected rains had damaged red chillies grown over vast areas.

Since as a result of widespread damage, the market price of red chillies jumped from $800 million to $1200 million, but some unscrupulous elements in India in collusion with Pakistani importers allegedly arranged the transportation of damaged product at the rate of $600 per ton to Pakistan.

Dr Mansab, a vegetables expert at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), said the chillies were extremely sensitive to moisture. The damage was understandable but Pakistani traders move to put the health and well-being of their fellow countrymen at risk by bringing in infested chillies was not understandable.

Another observer remarked that in case the allegation is correct, such incidents were likely to recur frequently in future for want of proper infrastructure. Ever since the public sector, under pressure of international creditors such as World Bank and IMF, stopped importing edibles from abroad leaving the field open to the private sector, no efforts were made to put in place a proper structure to regulate such imports in the interests of public health.

Meanwhile, the Farmers & Dealers Forum has demanded total ban on the import of red chillies from India. The new Pakistani crop of the product would be harvested in May. Till then, there is every possibility of hoarders and profiteers to fleece the people unless a ban is accompanied by measures to shore up the existing stocks.