The pesticide residue limits that apply to Indian pulses are the maximum residue limits (MRLs) of the country you import into. Indian FSSAI limits govern food sold in India, but they do not decide whether your container clears at your port.
So the real question is which pesticides your market allows on pulses, and at what level. The answer differs between the EU, the UK, the US, the Gulf and other markets, and it changes over time.
Who sets the limits
- EU: the European Commission sets MRLs for each pesticide and product, published in the EU pesticides database. Where a pesticide is not approved or no specific limit is set, a default limit, often at the limit of quantification, applies.
- UK: since leaving the EU, Great Britain keeps its own MRL schedule, which started from EU limits but can now differ.
- US: the Environmental Protection Agency sets tolerances, and the FDA enforces them on imports. A pesticide with no US tolerance for that crop is not permitted at any detectable level.
- Codex Alimentarius: sets international MRLs that many countries without their own system adopt or refer to.
- Gulf and other markets: often use Codex, their own lists or a mix. Check with your importing authority.
Why Indian pulses can fail
Pulses are grown by many smallholders, each with their own spraying habits. A processor buying at the APMC mixes lots from hundreds of farms. One farmer using a product late, or a product not approved in your market, can put a whole lot over the limit.
Storage treatments add risk. Insecticides used on stored grain or in warehouses can leave residues. Fumigation with phosphine can also leave residues if ventilation is poor, as covered in how fumigation is done for grains and pulses.
How to manage the risk
The basics of reading MRLs are explained in how to check the EU limit for a pesticide, and test scope in what a pesticide multi-residue test covers.
- Write in the spec that the product must meet the MRLs of your market at the date of import.
- Ask for a multi-residue test from an accredited lab on the actual lot, not a report from a previous season.
- Make sure the test covers the pesticides relevant to pulses and to your market. A short list can miss the one that fails.
- Test approval samples and pre-shipment samples separately, and keep counter-samples.
- Agree in the contract what happens if your own import test fails.
Keep checking the current limits
MRLs are revised regularly. A limit can be lowered when a pesticide loses approval, sometimes to the limit of quantification. A lot that passed last year can fail this year with the same residue. Check the current limit for each pesticide with your own authority, or ask your lab to compare results against the latest version.
How we help
We send samples to NABL-accredited labs for multi-residue testing, and we match the test scope to your market. We share the original lab reports with you before you approve a lot. Ask for a free sourcing review to plan testing for your pulses.