Iran’s ‘Contaminated’ Agricultural Products Continue to Be Returned; Baku Destroys Five Tons of Bell Peppers

The government of the Republic of Azerbaijan says it has completely destroyed five tons of exported Iranian bell peppers due to contamination with rosehip virus and is currently collecting 11 tons of contaminated peppers that have entered the market.

Azerbaijan’s Food Security Organization stated that last November it had also returned 26 tons of exported Iranian bell peppers to Iran due to infection with the same virus.

This is the latest incident in the pattern of neglect by Islamic Republic officials regarding standardizing food products exported to neighboring countries.

Previously, Uzbekistan returned 52 containers of Iranian-produced potatoes to Iran due to high levels of contaminants.

Some government officials blame farmers, while farmers say imported pesticides are causing the contamination. Last December, Mohsen Alizadeh, representative from Sepidan, criticized the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, saying “there exists a large and vast mafia engaged in pesticide imports and does not care about public health.”

Some reports suggest that agricultural products returned to Iran have been distributed among the public by officials inside the country.

Source: Voice of America