Thai rice free of chemical residues

BANGKOK, July 1 (TNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives insists that Thai rice is free of chemical residued and the United States does not quarantine Thai grains. Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Yukol Limlaemthong made the confirmation in a press conference on Monday, in response to reports on June 28-29 that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had ordered the quarantine of Thai rice due to the contamination of pesticides in white and black glutinous rice. Yukol explained that the United States had checked a certain amount of black glutinous rice in a container exported by Thailand-based Universal Rice Co. in April 2013 and reported its finding of DDT residues. According to the deputy prime minister, the company, located in Bangkok's suburban Samut Sakhon province, has investigated and solved the problem with repackaging and presenting a certificate from his ministry's Department of Agriculture assuring that Thailand has not used DDT for over 10 years. The deputy prime minister acknowledged that the company has already resumed its rice exports and it is not under a close watch as earlier reported. The deputy premier stressed that Thai companies are neither blacklisted by Washington nor prohibited from exporting rice to the United States, and that an examination on imports is normal everywhere and if contamination was discovered, a concerned import was quarantined for investigation and a concerned exporter of the product needed to give a complete explanation. The deputy prime minister said he has been informed by the Department of Agriculture that it has already tested 40 samples of rice collected from local retailers, convenience stores and general shops and has not found any residue, namely methyl bromide or phosphine. (TNA)