There are some issues at some of the ports in India: FSSAI CEO (Watch Video)

New Delhi, Mar 17 (KNN) There are some issues at some of the ports in India and not only with perishable products but with other products as well, said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The FSSAI chief said that the authority has taken some “concrete” actions to address the issues.

Agarwal was addressing the workshop on ‘Regional Trade Development in Juice and Juice Products in SAARC countries: Opportunities and Challenges’ organized by Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) on Wednesday.

Agarwal said, “Specific customs related issues of Fruit Juice importers should be looked into.”
 
On the issue of accrediting laboratories in other countries, he said, “This is something that we have not really tried or thought about it in a big way. But I can only assure you that it makes some sense to explore that possibility of these three countries (Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka) within the framework of this network to accredit new labs and look into this.”

He said on a pilot scale FSSAI may recognise food testing laboratories of Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka to prevent re-testing of food imports from these countries.

Agarwal assured to discuss the issue with the FSSAI and with NABL, accreditation partner for laboratory, on how to go about it.

According to a study ‘Value Chain Analysis: Juice Industry within SAARC’ Juice industry was identified as one of the key priority export sectors within SAARC.

The study highlighted that juices are undergoing rapid expansion of consumption in India. As incomes rise and the burgeoning urban population becomes more health conscious, they opt more for juice over carbonated drinks. The double digit growth rates are being witnessed at all three juice category levels – with 100% juice, with nectars (25-99% fruit content) and fruit drinks (up to 24% fruit content).

The three countries being looked at from an export perspective – Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka are themselves showing good growth, estimated at around 15% which is in turn attracting also Indian companies to target, the study highlighted. (Watch the Video) (KNN Bureau)