Big demand for curry leaves after imports restricted

GIANT CURRY: Indian chefs prepare a record breaking curry in New Delhi in 2008. (Getty Images)

Demand for curry leaves has rocketed in the UAE following government restrictions on Indian imports after officials discovered high levels of cancer-causing pesticides on some batches.

Officials told the Khaleej Times a total ban was not in place, but that importers were now required to produce a clearance certificate from Indian authorities detailing the level of pesticides used on the crop.

The number of Indian curry leaves imported into the UAE has fallen drastically, with many firms, mainly from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kerala and Ooty, unable to produce the necessary certificate.

“There is a huge demand for curry leaves now. Many Asians, including Sri Lankans and Thais, use them. But, the major consumers are Indians, especially those from the southern states,” Zulfiker Kadavath, the purchase manager of fruit and vegetables for EMKE group that runs Lulu Hypermarkets and Al Falah Plaza, told the paper.

Demand for curry leaves has forced prices of the crop, which is used to flavour curries, from Oman to triple in price, suppliers said.

“Curry leaves from Oman are now in great demand. Earlier, they used to be sold for AED8 to AED10 per kilo. Now, they are being sold from AED25 to AED30 per kilo,” a spokesman for Falcon Global General Trading Company, told the paper.

Yehia Towfik of the Plant Quarantine Section of the Ministry of Environment and Water said restrictions on Indian curry leaf imports were put in place about a month ago after official lab tests found high levels of harmful chemicals in sample leaves taken during routine inspections.

“The ministry has not imposed a ban on curry leaves from India. But, we have asked importers to produce clearance certificates from Indian authorities citing that the shipments being exported to the UAE contain permissible levels of pesticides and are fit for 
human consumption,” he said.

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