March 24, 2009
Bangkok (ASTV Manager Online) – Malaysia’s public health ministry is examining Thai oranges which were imported from Narathiwat to Kelantan, according to the Foreign Trade Department (FTD).
Mrs. Apiradee Tantraporn, FTD director-general, revealed that Malaysian government has not banned orange imports from Thailand yet.
It was earlier reported that Malaysia banned such imports since high level of pesticides was found in oranges.
Those oranges were sent to Malaysia through Thailand’s Sungai Golok.
The Nation newspaper reported that at least 50 consignments of oranges entering Malaysia in 2008 contained the banned insecticide.
Thailand’s orange exports value about 200 million baht per year. Major export markets include Myanmar, Hong Kong, Cambodia and China.
Orange exports are averagely about 1,100 tons per year. Only 30 tons of orange was exported to Malaysia.
Orange is a hybrid between pomelo and tangerine, according to wikepedia website. It originated in the Southeast Asia.
