Azerbaijan, Baku, Jun.2 /Trend R.Zamanov/
Some of the imported rice are certainly contaminated with chemicals like Arsenic, a member of Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Health Commission, Hassan Ta'mini said on Sunday.
Importing contaminated rice is a serious problem, the Khabaronline website quoted Ta'mini assaying.
Majlis has warned the Health Ministry and the Agricultural jihad ministries about the contaminated rice, but unfortunately nothing has been done and the contaminated rice are being presented at the markets, the lawmaker explained.
It is not the first time that the government imports contaminated rice from Pakistan and India, Ta'mini added.
Previously Massoumeh Ebtekar, the sitting Chairperson of the Tehran City Council Environmental Commission, had confirmed that imported rice are contaminated with Arsenic.
Head of Iran's Rice Guild Association said in December that the imported Indian rice may be contaminated with chemicals like Arsenic.
There are rumors that the Indian Basmati rice which have been imported recently are contaminated with chemicals and some Indian officials have implicitly confirmed the claim, the Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying.
"The government should conduct the necessary tests as soon as possible," he added.
Iran plans to reach self-sufficiency in rice production in the next three years.
According to the Agriculture Jihad ministry's plan, Iran was supposed to reach self-sufficiency in the rice production field by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2013), but the officials recently announced the plan needs some more 3 years to be completed, the ISNA News Agency reported.