The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has condemned ‘fake news’ reports regarding the importation from Somalia of bananas containing helicobacter.
There had been no recent banana imports through any South African ports of entry from Somalia, said Reggie Ngcobo, spokesperson for the DALRRD.
“South Africa regulates the importation of plants and plant products, in terms of the Agricultural Pests Act,1983 (Act No 36 of 1983) and its associated regulations, in a manner that such imports are subjected to inspection at the ports of entry or, depending on the protocol, the consignment can be subjected to extended detention for further inspection, before its release into the retail space,” Ngcobo explained.
“If the consignment does not comply with South African import requirements, entry into the Republic is not granted.”
He said imported bananas were carefully examined by the DALRRD inspectors at the ports of entry to ensure that there were no quarantine pests, food-borne diseases or any other harmful foreign material that could negatively affect the agricultural environment or industry and, in particular, consumers.
Any product suspected of being risky or harmful would be subject to withdrawal from the shelves, if such a risk was identified post-border or at retail level, he added.
He urged all citizens to refrain from sharing false and malicious information that could create panic among consumers.
