Concern Over Chemically-Tainted Fruit and Vegetables Available in Cambodia

If you see vegetable or fruit crops on farms across the country, you will often see farmers using chemical fertilizers to fertilize the land so that they can increase productivity and speed the growth of their crops. Also, they spray chemicals on their crops to make them grow well without being destroyed by pests.
I have just also just found out that fruit and vegetable producers use chemicals on crops such as cucumbers, mangoes and lotus to make them bigger and available all year. For example, they just select small cucumbers and use chemical on them so that they will become bigger. They inject chemicals into the lotus plants to make them grow well. Some people may not believe it, but this happens all the time.

Cambodian people complain that the vegetables and fruit they buy are bad for people’s health. Farmers are aware of the effects of chemicals and are advised on their use by the government and other organizations working in the agriculture sector, but they still use chemicals on crops so that they are able to harvest quickly.
People say that fertilizers and chemicals are used on all food crops for sale in the Kingdoms in Cambodia’s markets, which is a concern for people’s health. People know that vegetables contain chemicals and some vegetable sellers use chemical to make the vegetables fresh, but it is difficult to buy anything that is chemical-free.
What will happen to people’s health? It is certain that people’s health will be affected in the short and long term because people consume vegetable and fruit containing chemicals.
I see that now it is common for the farmers to use the chemicals to improve their crops. It is true that the government has been dealing with the issue, but chemically-tainted vegetables and fruit are still on the market. My recommendation is there has to be strict regulations which prohibit the sale of chemically-tainted vegetables and fruit on the market and issue statements to consumers warning them not to buy vegetables outside the markets. Why does this not happen?
I think it would not be effective of we just advise people not to use the chemical substances on their crops. We have to ban chemically-tainted fruit and vegetables on the market. That will discourage farmers from using chemicals on their crops.
Cambodian farmers cannot supply enough domestically-planted vegetables to local markets such as restaurants and hotels. Therefore, a large import of harmful vegetables from neighboring countries including Thailand and Vietnam has flowed into Cambodia’s markets. Many vegetables imported from neighboring countries tainted with pesticides and chemicals that have effects on Cambodian consumers.
It is the duty of the government to take action to combat chemically-tainted vegetables imported to Cambodia’s market.
This is not an easy problem to solve but it is a severe on to tackle since there are a lot of chemically-tainted vegetables and fruit flowing into Cambodia’s market and a lot of local farmers use chemicals on their crops.
Many people are now aware of the use of chemicals on fruit and vegetables and some try to buy fruit or vegetables grown using organic fertilizer. They buy vegetable that are grown naturally, despite holes from insect’s eating the crops.
Health is important to people. People should know how to protect themselves, but I think government action is crucially important because they are the one who have the authority to let the chemically-tainted vegetables and fruit be no the markets.
However, some critics say that corruption and bribery allows those chemical fruit and vegetables on the markets.
Authorities stationed at the border checkpoints should strictly control and ban the import of chemically-tainted vegetables and fruit which are plaguing people’s health.

LIFT