Rejected produce sold in Malaysia

Rejected produce sold in Malaysia

MALAYSIA: Fruit and vegetables which have been rejected by other countries because of high pesticide levels are being sold locally in Malaysia, a government official said.

Mohamad Shariff Omar, Malaysia's deputy agriculture minister, said some Malaysian fresh produce bound for export markets was being rejected because of pesticide levels, The Sun newspaper reported Friday.

The rejected food was being sold in domestic markets, he was cited as saying.

Mohamad said the government wants farmers to use less pesticide to overcome the problem and help develop new markets for Malaysian produce. Malaysia exported 6.5 billion ringgit (US$1.7 billion) worth of fresh produce last year, he said. --AP