Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) said yesterday that tests had not detected excessive levels of heavy metals in samples of rice grain from Houbi Township (後壁), where soil from rice paddies was reported to be contaminated with chromium and arsenic.
For years, rice from Houbi Township was highly regarded, but recent reports that the town’s rice paddies adjacent to a slag recycling plant contained excessive amounts of chromium have raised concerns about its quality.
These worries prompted the county government on Monday to send experts to take rice grain samples from three pieces of farmland suspected to be contaminated for testing.
Su announced the test results, which showed no excessive levels of heavy metals, at a press conference yesterday.
Su said that chromium and arsenic are not normally absorbed by rice plants since they are not vital for growth.
Although Taiwan has not set a standard for maximum allowable levels of arsenic in grain, the level of arsenic contained in the samples from Houbi was much lower than the German residue limit for wheat at 1 part per million, Su said.
Su said that the Council of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Agency had taken more samples, including hulled grains from Houbi, for testing, but found no excessive levels of heavy metals.
With the quality of rice from Houbi assured, Su said that the county government would concentrate its efforts on helping farmers sell their produce. In addition to setting up purchasing hotlines, it will sponsor programs to promote Houbi rice.
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