Sale of watermelons with holes stopped in UAE

According to unconfirmed reports on social media, pesticide materials have been injected into these watermelons.

A stock of Iranian watermelons with holes in them that were confiscated from Sharjah’s fruits and vegetables market on Sunday. — KT photos by M. Sajjad

Sharjah/Dubai - Authorities in the UAE have temporarily stopped the sale of Iranian watermelons in the country as a precautionary measure due to “suspicious holes” found in them. Holes were discovered in a consignment of the fruits that reached the country last week.

The Sharjah Municipality confiscated the Iranian watermelons from across the emirate. Brown holes in these watermelons are suspected to have been made deliberately. According to unconfirmed reports on social media, pesticide materials have been injected into these watermelons.

A top official from the Health and Environment Department confirmed that the municipality’s inspectors found watermelons with brown holes in them. Stones were also found inside some melons.

The municipality is conducting tests to understand how the holes were formed. “We can’t assume that the watermelons are injected with pesticide materials until we get the results of the test,” said the official.

Shaikha Rasha Al Qasimi, Head of the Health and Environment Department, advised residents to not buy Iranian watermelons until the test results come out. She also urged the public to report such abnormalities to the municipality at 993.

Mussabah Al Tunaiji, Director of the Sharjah Municipality in Al Dhaid, said they confiscated 500 watermelons with brown holes from the Central Region.

He said the watermelons “look fishy”.

A top official from the Ministry of Environment and Water said they tested the watermelons, which did not reveal the presence of any pesticide material. “However, we are still warning the public to not consume such watermelons as a precautionary measure as they have holes in them.”

Dh20,000 fine?

Traders in Dubai’s fruits and vegetables market said they were asked by the municipality and the ministry to remove the stock of Iranian watermelons and put their sale on hold. One wholesale trader said they have been warned of a fine of Dh20,000 if they are found selling the watermelons in question.

A Dubai Municipality official said tests are being done on samples of watermelons found with holes in Dubai markets as a precautionary measure. Though holes are seen in melons and other fruits occasionally, the municipality took samples to test them following the ministry’s instruction to do so, he said.

However, he said, the ministry has already said the holes were apparently created by some secretion during the pupal stage of certain insects that laid eggs on the surface of melons.

The test results in Dubai are expected to be out in a few days, the official said, adding that he deemed the issue as yet another panic created on social media.

The Ras Al Khaimah Municipality has also ordered that the watermelons be withdrawn from the emirate’s markets.

Munzir bin Shukr Al Zaabi, Director-General of the RAK Municipality, told Khaleej Times that traders have been warned against offering any Iranian watermelons for sale.

In 2013, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority had denied a similar scare in which people alleged that watermelons imported from an Arab county were injected with the HIV virus.

(With inputs from Sajila Saseendran and Ahmed Shaaban)

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

Watermelon prices spike in Sharjah and Dubai

The prices of watermelons imported from Oman and other countries have spiked by double in fruits and vegetables markets in Sharjah and Dubai following the decision by civic authorities to confiscate all Iranian watermelons with suspicious holes.

The traders exploited the situation and hiked the prices of watermelons from other countries.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, traders at the Sharjah fruits and vegetables market said the municipality confiscated all Iranian watermelons and warned them against selling them.

The price of all kinds of watermelons used to be Dh2 to Dh3 per kg but now they are going for Dh5 to Dh6 per kg.

Nasser, a Pakistani trader at the market, said the confiscation caused huge financial losses for all traders here. “Every trader lost 30kg to 40kg of watermelons. We hiked the price to make up for our losses.”

Abulkareem, another trader, said Oman watermelons are in big demand in the market now. “Its price has been doubled, not by us, but by the suppliers.

“Despite the hike, consumers still buy the watermelons which are in high demand during this time of the year. We only increased the price by Dh1 over the price hiked by suppliers.”

Nitin, another trader, said not all watermelons from Iran have holes. “We opened some of them, they are red and sweet, but the municipality confiscated all of it. I lost around 70kg of small sized watermelons.”

Traders in Dubai’s fruits and vegetables market in Al Aweer also said the rates of other watermelons have gone up. “We used to get one pickup van full of watermelons for Dh5,000 to Dh6,000 from wholesalers. Within days, it has gone up to Dh13,000 to Dh15,000,” said a sales staff from a fruits and vegetables trading company.

Don’t hike prices, traders warned

An official from the Sharjah Municipality warned traders against hiking the prices of watermelons. “Traders will not be allowed to exploit the situation. We will issue the results of the lab tests of the watermelons some time this week. If there is nothing wrong with them, its sale will resume.”

(With inputs from Sajila Saseendran)

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

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