Guyana will soon have the capacity to test locally-grown fruit and vegetables for pesticides and other chemical residues. This will improve Guyana’s access to international markets, as well as benefiting local consumers:

In an effort to ensure that foods consumed by Guyanese are wholesome and healthy, the Pesticides and Toxic Chemical Control Board (PTCCB) will soon conduct chemical-residue analyses on local products and produce.

“We will soon know what is hitting our markets, because we will do a residue analysis on products across the market place and also be able to guide producers towards farm certification,” said PTCCB Senior Inspector Suresh Amichand during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

He explained that for the first time, the PTCCB will be able to test for chemical residue once their new $140 million laboratory facility is furnished.

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[C]rops produced by farmers, the senior PTCCB inspector said, would be certified and accredited locally, because the lab will do independent tests that would be able to withstand scrutiny anywhere in the world.

In the past, farmers complained about not being able to export their produce, because there was no way of measuring the standards locally.

Jairam (only name given), a farmer from Region Five, said the lab is a big step for Guyana, particularly farmers, because they would be able to know the quality and standard of their produce.

Amichand also believes that the lab would help to improve trade relations, because the tests would reveal if the residue is accepted or unregulated.

Read more in the full Guyana Chronicle article.

[Image: Kevin Nellies / © Commonwealth Secretariat]