[Green] Japanese export peppers are allowed to contain anthrax 'hexaconazole'

Farmers who export peppers to Japan can use 'hexaconazole', which is used to control anthrax, with confidence.

The Rural Development Administration said that in consultation with Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, it has set a residual limit of 0.2 mg per kilogram of hexaconazole, a anthrax control pesticide component used in pepper cultivation.

The Rural Development Administration explained that the measure also lifted the order to inspect all hexaconazole in Korean peppers.

In the meantime, the use of hexaconazole has been banned in Japan because there is no residual standard for hexaconazole, so customs clearance has been denied if hexaconazole is detected when exporting peppers to Japan.

However, with the establishment of a standard for allowing hexaconazole to remain in Japan, domestic farms can control anthrax by using hexaconazole when growing peppers exported to Japan.

Japan has ordered a full hexaconazole inspection of Korean peppers at customs clearance since May 2021 after hexaconazole was detected twice in Korean peppers.

Since then, hexaconazole has been detected eight times in Korean peppers during Japanese customs clearance until May this year, which has made it difficult to export Korean peppers to Japan.

The Rural Development Administration plans to produce a guideline for safe use of pesticides, which includes standards for allowing hexaconazole to remain and how to use it safely, distribute it to domestic farms that grow peppers for export to Japan, and conduct education and counseling.