Sesame seeds: India suspends exports of poisonous seeds

October 19, 2020 at 4:40 PM , Der AUDITOR
Play report as audio

NEW DELHI. All sesame seed exports from India to the EU will be stopped this week by order of the Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC). Issue is the ethylene oxide scandal that has unravelled in recent weeks. Market players also hold buyers to account for the situation.

What has happened so far

Findings of elevated ethylene oxide levels in sesame seeds shipped from India have prompted product recalls throughout Europe in recent weeks. A trader in Belgium had unwittingly put the seeds into circulation. Ethylene oxide is mainly used in India to fumigate heat-sensitive products such as ground spices to kill bacteria such as salmonella. Some exporters also use the gas to treat other commodities such as sesame seeds, as critical salmonella levels have been found in the past. In Germany, however, the use of ethylene oxide has been prohib

View related articles

Go to the News Overview
Nuts
Nov 25, 2024
NEW DELHI/BUENOS AIRES. Prices for Indian peanuts are currently volatile and there is disagreement as to whether they will rise or fall in the coming weeks; both seem possible. Argentine market players are facing numerous challenges.
Grains
Nov 22, 2024
BRUSSELS. With the war in Ukraine taking new terrible turns concerns are growing that wheat and corn will be impacted. Rumour has it that France exported much more wheat to Morrocco than official figures suggest. US soybean exporters depend much less on China than one may think. Euronext rapeseed futures have slipped.
Oilseeds
Nov 21, 2024
NEW DELHI/BRASÍLIA. India's sesame seed exports increased significantly in volume terms in October 2024, while the export value rose only moderately due to lower prices. Despite a smaller crop, the recent price declines could be only temporary.
Oilseeds
Nov 21, 2024
CHRUDIM. Larger acreages and higher yields have significantly increased the Czech blue poppy seed crop this year. This has ensured that prices have become noticeably more favourable again compared to previous years.