Government of India has brought out a survey report on the status of pesticides residues in food commodities every year. The details of the survey report 2014-15 follows:

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare had started a central sector scheme, "Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level" in food produce and environmental samples during 2005-06 with the participation of various laboratories representing Ministry of Agriculture, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizer, Ministry of Commerce and State Agricultural Universities across the country. The main objective of the ;heme include: To identify crops and regions having preponderance of pesticide residues in order to focus extension efforts for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Good Agriculture Practices (GAP).

During the year 2014-15, under this scheme samples of vegetables, fruits, spices, red chilli powder, curry leaves, rice, wheat, pulses, fish/marine, meat and egg, tea, milK and water were collected from the various markets such as retail outlets and agricultural marketing committee (APMC) markets, farm gate and organic outlets located at different parts of the country and analysed by 25 participating laboratories for the possible presence of group of pesticide residues such as organo-chlorine, organo-phosphorous, synthetic pyrethroids, carbamates and herbicides.

  • Out of 20,618 samples analysed, no residues were detected in 16,761 samples (81.3%), residues were detected in 3,857 (187%) and residues above Maximum Residue Level (MRL) in 543 samples (2 6%) as prescribed by Food Safety and Standards Authors (FSSAI) Residues of nonapproved pesticides were detected in 12.5% of the sample*.
  • With regard to Vegetables, 10,593 vegetable samples were collected from various markets in the country (retail outlets and APMC markets), farm gate and organic outlets and analysed for the possible presence of pesticides by 22 participating laboratories The vegetables samples which were collected and analysed were mainly, brinjal, okra, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower green chilli, capsicum, cucumber, green pea, bitter gourd and coriander leaves Out of this 2253 vegetable samples (21 3%) contained of measurable pesticide residues. In 29% of the vegetable samples (306 samples), residue concentrations exceeded the FSSAI MRL
  • The total number of 2239 fruit samples namely, apple, banana, pear, grapes, orange, pomegranate, guava and mango were collected from the different markets and analyzed for the possible presence of pesticide residues Overall, 81 1% of the samples tested were free of detectable residues While 188% of the samples analysed contained measurable residues from which 1 8% of samples (40 samples) contained residues above FSSAI MRL.
  • A total of 1881 cereal samples (1076 rice samples and 805 wheat samples) were collected and analysed by 15 laboratories for the possible presence of pesticide residues In total, 152 rice samptes(14 1%; out of 1076 samples were found with measurable residues and the MRL exceeded in 6.3% rice samples
  • Out of the 8 342 vegetable samples collected from the various retail and agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) markets, in 22 5 per cent of the samples on several pesticides in measurable concentrations were detected, In 229 samples (2.7%) contained residues exceeding MRL Most frequently detected pesticides which exceeded

    • FSSAI MRL were chlorpyrifoa, ethion, acetamiprid, dichlorvos and cypermethrln Ai all the vegetables samples analysed, capsicum, green chilli and cauliflower samples were found having high number of above MRL residues followed by samples of cabbage, bi tomato, okra bitter gourd cucumber, green pea and coriander leaves ()ut ut the Vegetable samples collected from farm-gate (1846) and organic outlets (405); 69 farm-gate samples (3 7%) and 8 organic samples (2 0%) were found exceeding MRL.

    KERALA

    Overall, 1197 samples were collected and analysed by Vellayani centre (Kerala Agricultural University); 26.0% of the sample had measurable concentrations of one or more pesticides; while 7.9% of the samples were identified with exceeding MRL. For rice, out of the 72 samples analysed, 19 samples were detected with pesticide residue and in 12 samples, it was exceeding FSSAI MRL levels. In vegetables (market, farm gate and organic together) 25 per cent of the samples contained pesticide residue and 2.72 per cent samples exceeded FSSAI MRL levels. Also its heartening to note that among pulses red chilli powder, milk, meat and egg, and fish products, no sample had residue exceeding FSSAI MRL levels.
    Source: Ministry of Agriculture&Farmer' Welfare, Government of India, 2015