Minister of Agriculture Fahd Balghunaim said the import ban comes into effect Wednesday, adding that it would continue until the source of the virus becomes clear.
Jabir Al-Shahri, assistant deputy minister for livestock affairs, said the ban was imposed on the basis of information received from the EU, WHO and the European Center for Disease Control.
In a previous statement Balghunaim confirmed that E. coli infected cucumbers that appeared last week in European countries have not entered the Kingdom. “Due to strict measures taken at the ports no infected produce has been allowed to pass into the Saudi market,” Balghunaim said, adding that EU countries are in no way a source for imported produce in the Kingdom.
According to the minister, Saudi Arabia produces 85 percent of cucumbers in the market, with imports of other vegetables mainly from Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan.
Nonetheless, Balghunaim stressed that it is the responsibility of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to prevent the entry of food products with questionable safety.
He said the Kingdom should continue its initiative to develop and market organic vegetables.
He said 53 farmers in Saudi Arabia have already been certified to produce organic produce, 25 of whom were certified last month. The produce is being grown currently on approximately 15,497 hectares.
