KARACHI, April 11: Customs have released 2,600 tons of Indian red chillies, imported by some parties, after conducting micro-biological test at the PCSIR.

Customs had detained red chillies of Indian origin that arrived in 13 small ships in the last 20 days on the report of local red chilly growers that the chillies were imported from old crop and were black in colour, carrying fungus. The first ship came on March 25.

Appraisement Collectorate took some samples to the PCSIR labs for test and the laboratory reports suggested that the commodity was free from fungus.

Member of Pakistan Commodity Traders Association (PCTA), Rahim Janoo said that traders had to import the commodity due to shortfall in local crop by over 50 per cent.

The import of red chilly has been re-started in March this year after a gap of two years. Pakistan used to be the largest exporter of red chilly from 1986 to 1997 due to better crop position.