Saudi Arabia bans Guava imports from Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) meets Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) during his visit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on April 23, 2017 [Bandar Algaloud / Saudi Kingdom Council / Handout]

Saudi authorities have temporarily banned the import of the fresh guava fruit from Egypt after it was reported to have been contaminated with high rates of pesticide residues, the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced today.

The ministry’s Undersecretary for livestock affairs, Hamad Al-Batshan, said in a press statement today that the ban came after an examination on a sample of the Egyptian imported Guava was conducted.

The test, Al-Batshan explained, have proved that the amount of pesticide residues in the Egyptian fruit was higher than the permitted international standards.

The Saudi official pointed out that the examination was carried out jointly by the ministry and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) in a move to support the implementation of the nation-wide programme to monitor the residues of pesticides in all kinds of imported vegetables and fruits to the Saudi markets.

In June, the Saudi authorities decided to ban the imports of Egyptian strawberries due to contamination of pesticide residues.

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