EU rejection of ‘Halva’

IT IS unsurprising but sad that the European Union has told our Ministry of Commerce that it cannot allow continued import of a traditional confectionery item, ‘Sohan Halva’, which is contaminated, and hence unfit for human consumption. The lack of surprise, of course, comes from the fact that quality standards are flouted with immunity everywhere in this country. Yet it is a matter of both shame and worry that the present reprimand has come from one of our most important trading partners. A positive, albeit convoluted, way of looking at the issue would be that sooner or later the government has to fix things in order not to lose the market, which might take care of the domestic consumer’s interest, too. The official response so far has been dismal. As a Recorder Report points out, the EU office in Islamabad had sent a letter to the Commerce Secretary two months ago to say that the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASEF) based on EU regulations had informed it that ‘halva’ imports had been halted since these contained aflatoxins. In fact, the letter also said that Pakistan had been notified ten times during the past six months regarding the presence of unacceptable material in ‘halva’, yet nothing practical was done to rectify the problem. In other words, instead of our people getting worried about a problem, which could easily harm this country’s business prospects in non-traditional food exports, they exhibited indifference to the issue.
The Commerce Ministry finally acted on an EU communication of August 30, passing it on to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, which forwarded it to the relevant departments, telling them to fix the responsibility on officials due to whose negligence “Pakistan’s business goodwill is at stake in international markets.” Indeed, it is desirable to fix responsibility, but that takes time. The item involved was an eatable and hence fell under the purview of EU’s rapid alert system. The first thing the concerned officials should have done was to stop the export with immediate effect, and then move on to sort out those responsible and to figure out ways to ensure no such complaint ever arose again about this item or any other. The fact that it is now the EC and not the Commerce Ministry, which has stopped the export, is a bad reflection on the latter. Unfortunately, there have been several instances in the past when people resorted to dishonest practices while exporting agricultural products to outside markets, adversely affecting the business goodwill, and leaving those engaged in genuine, long-term export activities to face the consequences. Lack of proper packaging and labelling has been another common problem. In the present instance, our report says that the packaging of the food product was not in conformity with the standard required for storage purposes. As it is, the type of packaging used in Pakistan for confectionery products is usually cardboard, which allows air to pass through, activating the process of mould formation and aflatoxins. Proper packaging is just as important for reasons of hygiene as it is to make the contents attractive for the consumers. The next step, of course, is to label products by their brand names for consumer recognition, and securing a spot in the market. It is obvious that the concerned government departments are not offering the exporters necessary advice and guidance on the subject. The Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority is not doing its job, either. We can only hope that the EU’s rejection decision will act as a wake-up call for all involved.

Violence against hope

THE bombing massacre in Baghlan in northern Afghanistan is a wicked crime that shows with abundant clarity the perils facing the country as it struggles to find hope, peace and prosperity. The bombing in which scores of people died, including six legislators, took place during the opening of a new sugar factory, the very sort of industrial enterprise that Afghanistan needs for a stable and productive future. The high-level delegation included six members of Parliament who were attending the ceremonies celebrating this small but nevertheless significant economic milestone for the medium size city. The bomber or bombers therefore not only attacked the step toward modernity but they also struck at the will of the Afghan people. It is interesting that the Taleban were quick to deny involvement with the attack in a province which has been largely free of violence. One reason for the denial would be to make local warlords suspicious of each other. The fact that this was a possible multiple suicide bombing clearly suggests Al-Qaeda’s involvement. Though Al-Qaeda claims its enemy is the United States and its Western allies, it has proven by its many atrocities in Iraq and elsewhere that its nihilist principles do not prevent it from murdering Muslims as well. There are many mourning and bereaved families today in Afghanistan. But the anger these victims and the wider country feels at this crime must be turned to advantage in order to unify the country in its determination to end conflict. That will only come about when the Taleban can be included in the political process, a task far easier said than done. But a way must be found to bring this predominantly Pashtun political group to the negotiating table. At the very least, such an engagement might undermine the position of Al-Qaeda, whose foreign fighters have relied heavily on support from groups within the Pashtun community.
Failure to bring about talks with the Taleban will guarantee a longer presence for US and other NATO forces in the country. It will also maintain the delay in the arrival of large quantities of economic aid and will also hamper even those projects like the Baghlan sugar factory which have got under way. The Taleban know just as well as the government in Kabul that there can be no conclusive military end to the uprising currently under way. NATO and Afghan forces may win individual battles but they can never win the war. For their part, the Taleban can only disrupt and destroy, seizing areas for a brief period until driven out. They can never conquer. And along the way they too suffer. In recent months more than 5,000 people have died in violence, many of them Taleban insurgents or civilians in communities where the insurgents were hiding. Taking all this into consideration, it is clear that yesterday’s attack should cause the government to redouble its drive for reconciliation with the Taleban using the good offices of an intermediary such as the UN. It is the only option.

—Arab News