Dumre. Expired pesticides worth 140,360 have been seized from the district’s agrovet, agriculture and seed stores. During a monitoring conducted on Baisakh 17, the same quantity of pesticides was seized from six agricultural stores of Byas Municipality-4 and Shuklagandaki Municipality-2.
Pesticides, fungicides, rodenticides, herbicides, fertilizers, food ingredients, stickers and other expired items were seized. The Agricultural Knowledge Center in the district has reported that expired seeds of various vegetables worth Rs 51,145 were seized.
Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center Harihar Bhawan Lalitpur, Agricultural Knowledge Center Tanahun, District Administration Office, Crop Protection Laboratory Pokhara, informed Kiran Pariyar, Crop Protection Officer and Information Officer of the Agricultural Knowledge Center, that expired pesticides and seeds were found during a joint monitoring.
The Knowledge Center has reported that expired pesticides and seeds were seized and sealed during monitoring at retail and wholesale pesticide shops in the district.
Pesticides Pariyar, the center’s information officer, informed that 1,375 units of pesticides, 237 units of fungicides, 47 units of rodenticides and 18 units of herbicides, 200 units of fertilizers and food elements and 35 units of stickers were seized. According to him, 357 units of various vegetable seeds were seized after they were found to be expired.
Pariyar said that the details of the seized pesticides and seeds and the documents were sealed in bags. ‘Expired seeds and pesticides were found in most of the shops monitored. To make them systematic, the Pesticide Management Act should be implemented. The act states that penalties and fines should be imposed,’ he said. ‘For that, you have to go to court. Which is complicated. We will take the process forward by imposing some penalties under the Consumer Protection Act and the Black Market Act.’
Shalikram Adhikari, head of the Pokhara Crop Laboratory, said that the sellers were not found to be using any standards that required them to be safe. He said, ‘The materials in the shop are mixed with pesticides. Which affects the sellers more than the buyers. Even protective clothing is not used for safety. We have warned them to use safety materials with suggestions and a time limit for once.’
The official mentioned that some sellers were not even found to keep records of pesticide and seed sales. ‘This seems to be a game played on consumers. This needs to be monitored from time to time to regulate. The sellers themselves also need to be aware,’ he said.
Prakash Ghimire, Crop Protection Officer at the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, said that during the monitoring, most of the sellers were found to be not health conscious. He said that shops were also found to be selling daily necessities including puja items, plastic items, mudas, tea cups.
He said, ‘Most of the shops were found to be stocking household items along with pesticides. They have been asked to keep them separately for a week. Since expired pesticides and seeds were found, we have put them in eight plastic bags and sealed them.’ He mentioned that it has been suggested not to keep expired pesticides and seeds in the coming days.
During the monitoring, it was found that most of the shops were staffed by other people instead of trained people, so an alert has been issued.
Ghimire said, ‘The operators of agrovets, agricultural stores and seed stores should be aware of their own health and business growth. Other bodies should not be monitoring. Expired pesticides and seeds can lead to a situation where people turn away from the agricultural profession. If sellers are aware, the attraction towards agriculture will increase. Sellers who act as guides should be aware.’
The center has stated that since the pesticide license of Wagle Veterinary Center of Shuklagandaki Municipality-6 (dated 2080 Magh 1) was not renewed during the monitoring, instructions have been given to take action as per the rules. Agrovet, agricultural warehouse and seed warehouse will be monitored again after a week and necessary action will be taken if any non-compliance is found, informed Pariyar, the center’s information officer.
Agrovet, agricultural warehouse and seed warehouse are the guides of farmers. Although they should guide the way, they are not doing so. It has been urged to be aware, saying that not being aware will lead to health problems for both oneself and the consumer. ‘Awareness cannot be spread among farmers if one is not aware. “The attraction towards the agricultural profession is decreasing because the guiding body itself is not secure,” he said.
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