BANGKOK, Feb 18 (TNA) - Thailand's Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has been asked to review a controversial order listing 13 herbal plants as hazardous substances, with the decision having caused a public outcry, a senior official said.
Deputy Permanent Secretary for Industry Anusorn Nuangpholmak said the decision requiring the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to review the order, discuss it with concerned government agencies and listen to public opinion on the herbs was made during a meeting earlier in the day.
The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry is also asked to initiate public information campaigns to make people understand the objectives behind listing the 13 herbal plants as hazardous substances, Mr. Anusorn said.
The order, which took effect on February 3 and was then temporary suspended due to widespread public outcry, will not be enforced until the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has categorised the qualities of the herbs, he said.
The herbs and other plants include ginger, lemongrass, galangal, neem, turmeric, chilli, Chinese celery, African marigold, Siam weed or bitter bush, tea seed cake, ringworm bush, glory lily and stemona.
Since the announcement was made public, people had become confused as the herbs were widely used in Thai cooking as well as in compounding traditional herbal medicines and remedies, cosmetic products and natural pesticides.
Vicha Thitiprasert, director of Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry's Office of Agricultural Regulation, said that gathering of public opinion would take between two and three months.
Mr. Vicha said the reason that the order was not scrapped was because the herbs could "create added value for farmers as they could use them instead of chemical substances in eradicating insects."
Previously, the herbs must be registered and caused inconvenience to farmers, and they did not generate added value, Mr. Vicha said. Now, farmers will have the choice to use the herbs instead of imported chemical substances in fighting insect pests.
He said the Agriculture Department will review the order carefully. (TNA)
General News : Last Update : 20:46:13 18 February 2009 (GMT+7:00)
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