Chinese stop buying tangerines out of fear of infestation
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Tangerines are selling in Beijing for one yuan (10 euro cents) per kilogram, but consumers are still reluctant, after rumors that they could be infested with fruit flies. Meanwhile, the Chinese company that produced eggs containing melamine is "solemnly" apologizing to the public, but is not explaining how it happened.
About 1.6 million tons of tangerines remained unsold, on trucks in central Hubei and Chen Zhiqiang. An official in Cjhangde (a large fruit growing region in Hunan) says that "the scare has caused direct economic losses of 400 million yuan ( million) so far and the figure is expected to rise if the crisis does not end in a week." In Hubei, Li Chuanyou, secretary general of the fruit industry association, says that 70% of the harvest has gone unsold, and says that "if the situation persists, Hubei farmers may suffer a loss of up to 1.5 billion yuan."
The panic was unleashed by the rumor that in Sichuan last week, 10 thousand tons of tangerines were destroyed because they were infested with fruit flies. The provincial authorities denied the report, saying that only 12 tons had been destroyed, and that "the situation is under control."
But after the recent food scandals, especially over the melamine-contaminated milk that has caused kidney problems for more than 53,000 infants, there is little trust in public safety measures for food products. Chinese authorities have still not reacted or commented after on October 25 in Hong Kong, eggs produced by the Hanwei Group in Dalian were found to contain high concentrations of melamine. The authorities nevertheless continue to insist that strict measures are being taken against adulteration, and that current anti-melamine controls are entirely safe.
But today, Han Wei, the company president, said "we solemnly apologise to consumers and distributors. We solemnly state here that my company had never purchased melamine or added melamine to feeds or products." He added that melamine was found in the feed only in September, and its use was immediately suspended. But he did not explain where the feed came from, nor the controls put in place to guarantee the safety of eggs and poultry products.
A melamine derivative has long been used in animal feed and insecticides in China, and there are fears that the substance is absorbed into meat and vegetables destined for human consumption. This is the first confirmation.
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