BALTIMORE (AP) — Federal agriculture specialists say they found larvae of a destructive insect infesting a rice shipment at the Port of Baltimore.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that the 43,000 pound shipment of rice from Pakistan was infested with Khapra beetle larvae. Authorities say only dead larvae were found.
Customs and Border Protection issued an emergency action notice to the importer ordering that the shipment be destroyed or re-exported.
Officials say the importer chose to re-export the 1,066-carton shipment.
Customs and Border Protection officials say the Khapra beetle is one of the world’s most destructive insect pests of grains, cereals and stored foods.
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