Greenpeace has sounded the alarm on Guangzhou’s vegetables.
According to a new study by the group, a third of vegetable samples taken from Guangzhou markets contained pesticide levels that surpassed national safety limits.
According to an article in the South China Morning Post, a sample of cowpeas taken from a market in the Tianhe district had quantities of omethoate (an insecticide) that were 64 times the national standard.
The study, released last week, also concluded that vegetables sold in Beijing and Shanghai markets contained far less pesticides, rendering them safer than the options available in Guangzhou.
There has been close to a 12 percent increase in pesticide use in Guangzhou between 2007 and 2011, according to the report. This is in stark contrast to Beijing, which saw an annual rise of just over one percent.
During the same duration, Shanghai saw a drop in pesticide use of almost six percent.
Between September and December, while conducting the study, Greenpeace purchased 133 vegetables from markets in China’s three largest cities, according to the South China Morning Post.
The same article also stated that by 2020, The Ministry of Agriculture aims to halt the increase in its use of pesticides and fertilizers in the country. This is probably good news for residents of Guangzhou.
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