Map monitors agrochemical residues in the apple harvest in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul

Federal agricultural tax auditors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) will monitor agrochemical residues from the current apple harvest in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, regions where fruit production is concentrated, until July. The action is part of the National Plan for the Control of Residues and Contaminants in Products of Vegetable Origin (PNCRC/Vegetal) and aims to maintain fruit at safe levels for society's consumption.

So far, the teams have been in the municipalities of Vacaria (RS), Fraiburgo (SC) and São Joaquim (SC) and collected 92 samples from batches representing 24.602 tons of fruit, which will be analyzed and destined for both export and the market internal.

According to Mapa's Agrostat system, apples are one of the main fruits exported by Brazil, with revenues of US$73,8 million in 2021. The main destinations are India, Bangladesh, Russia, the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Inspection and sampling of apples is being carried out in the phase prior to trade, that is, in the fruit classifiers and packers.

“If Mapa finds excessive residues or even pesticides not permitted for the crop, the companies responsible for the product will be summoned to immediately suspend the sale of the loads. This will mean that potentially contaminated apples will not reach consumers”, explains the Plant Quality Inspection coordinator, Tiago Dokonal.

According to a survey by PNCRC/Vegetal, since 2016, apple production has been 97,3% compliant, which means that the product sold is safe for consumption.

PNCRC Vegetable

The National Plan for the Control of Residues and Contaminants in Products of Plant Origin aims to monitor and inspect residues of agricultural pesticides and chemical and biological contaminants in products of plant origin.

Executed by Mapa since 2008, the plan became supervisory in 2019 with the drawing up of infraction notices against those responsible for the contaminated product. Since then, fines totaling more than R$4 million have been imposed.

When detecting plant products with excess agrochemical residues, Mapa fines those responsible with fines that can reach R$532 thousand reais per batch.

During 2022, other crops such as oranges, bananas, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet potatoes and beans will also be analyzed.

The PNCRC results are published annually by the Ministry and can be consulted here.