Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 25
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Five varieties of Iranian rice and two from Indian and Pakistani rice are contaminated, Jahanesanat newspaper reported on Nov. 25 citing an official of Iranian National Standards Organization.
According to the report, Astaneh`s Hashemi, Fereydunkenar `s Tarom and Rasht`s Domsiyah are among the contaminated Iranian rice varieties.
Director of the Iranian rice producers association, Jamil Alizadeh has criticised the Iranian National Standards Organisation due to issue saying "it is a political statement".
Alizadeh underlined that the Baba Noor Indian rice variety and Pakistani Zeytoun rice which is also listed amongst the contaminated rice varieties have not been imported into Iran, so the statement on the contamination has targeted domestic rice producers.
Earlier in August, the Tasnim News Agency quoted deputy head of the Iranian Rice Producers Association, Ali Akbarian as saying the rice which is imported from India and Pakistan into Iran is contaminated with arsenic.
A member of Iran's Parliament's Health Commission, Hassan Tamini said on June 2 that some of the imported rice is certainly contaminated with chemicals like arsenic.
Importing contaminated rice is a serious problem, the Khabaronline website quoted Tamini as saying.
The Iranian Parliament has warned the Health Ministry and agricultural ministries about the contaminated rice, but unfortunately nothing has been done and the contaminated rice is being presented at the markets, the lawmaker explained.
It is not the first time that the government imported contaminated rice from Pakistan and India, Tamini added.