Kerala Minister Flags Pesticide Residues in Food Samples

The government of Kerala tested many food items, mainly vegetables, to see if they were safe to eat.

They checked 1,262 samples in their official laboratories.

They found that 58 of those samples had too many chemicals called pesticides, which can be harmful to people.

The minister in charge, T Siddique, said this is very serious and worrying.

He said buying such vegetables is like buying poison for our families.

To fix this, the government wants to help farmers grow food without these harmful chemicals, which is called organic farming.

The government is also starting a project called Kathir in 500 schools so students can learn to grow their own vegetables.

Every school taking part will get some money to help with the farming.

During the Onam festival, the government will open 2,000 special markets so people can buy safer vegetables.

The government hopes that many families will start growing some of their own food too.