A study has shown that rice consumed in the Kathmandu Valley contains residues of 11 different types of pesticides. The samples tested during the research have also found residues of some banned pesticides including fungicides, insecticides, rodenticides.

More pesticides have been found in rice sold in Kathmandu than in rice sold in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. Experts say that the amount of pesticides in Basmati rice is double that of non-Basmati rice.

Kathmandu-based ‘Progressive Sustainable Developers Nepal’ and India’s ‘Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research’ have recently released a report titled ‘Pesticide Use in Nepal’s Rice and Farmers’ Safety Behavior: Principles of Planned Behavior and Potential Health Risks’.

The report has indicated that the pesticide concentration in rice consumed in three districts of Kathmandu ranges from 5.09 micrograms to 312.54 micrograms per kilogram. The report has been published in the prestigious international academic journal ‘Environment, Development and Sustainability’ of ‘Springer Nature’. The report states that 83 percent of the rice samples collected for the study were contaminated with pesticides. It is mentioned that 80 percent of the samples contained residues of two or more types of pesticides. “Among the 11 types of pesticides found in rice, the amounts of tricyclazole, thiamethoxam and tebuconazole are much higher than the maximum residue limits set by the European Union,” said Utkal Sapkota, one of the researchers. “These pesticides are extremely harmful to human health.” Basmati rice is sold at a higher price and has less resistance to pests, the research claims.

The study showed that basmati rice contains twice as many pesticides as non-basmati rice. According to Sapkota, farmers are using more pesticides because basmati rice is sold at a higher price and has less resistance to pests. “Since basmati is a high-value crop, farmers spray pesticides more frequently and more than recommended to protect their investment and make more profit,” he said, “That is why the residue levels are high.”

The study has warned that long-term use of pesticides found in rice can be dangerous to human health. “Our study has shown that continuous consumption of these pesticide-laden rice accumulates the amount of pesticides in the human body and that over time it can cause fatal diseases such as stomach, prostate and reproductive health-related cancers,” said scientist Sapkota. The study has shown that pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, alpha-cypermethrin and profenofos, which have been banned by the government, were found in rice. The study concludes that the use of such pesticides has not been stopped due to weaknesses in market monitoring.

The study has pointed out that banned chemicals are still reaching farmers and wholesalers due to the weakness of the regulatory body

. Senior Crop Protection Officer at the Regulatory Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center Roshan Adhikari said that the pesticide residues added to rice should not remain for that long when they reach the consumer's kitchen as rice. 'Especially pesticides like chlorpyrifos do not have a very long residue period,' he said. 'The process of harvesting, drying and milling rice takes at least one and a half to two months.' In that long, the pesticide residues disappear. However, since I have not read the research report yet, I can only say in detail after studying the report.' Rice samples collected during laboratory testing.

Clarifying the reason for the appearance of banned pesticides in the market in Nepal, Adhikari said that banning any pesticide will not happen overnight and a certain 'grace period' will be given. ‘The reason why the pesticides were found during the investigation may be that the grace period of those pesticides had not expired at the time of the investigation,’ he said. Scientist Sapkota also agreed with this.

Adhikari, a senior crop protection officer at the Pesticide Management Center, said that there is a legal process for importing pesticides in Nepal and only registered pesticides can be imported. He claimed that work is being done only by giving licenses to importers. He understands that the presence of pesticide residues in rice is a slightly different issue than in vegetables. ‘Since the pesticides are applied to vegetables and reach the market directly, the residues are more visible,’ he said, ‘but in rice, since it is used for pest control and is processed later, the possibility of residues is low.’

Excessive pesticides have been found in vegetables imported from India and produced in Nepal. This research report also showed pesticide residues in rice available in the federal capital of Nepal. The study report was prepared by two scientists from Nepal, two from India and one from Japan. Dr. Govinda Bhandari, Utkal Sapkota, Dr. Shilendra Pratap Singh, Dr. Anushka Pandey and Dr. Hirotatsu Murano are involved in it.

Scientists Utkal Sapkota and Dr. Govinda Bhandari.

The study has pointed out that Nepal lacks cutting-edge technology for pesticide testing. ‘We have used LC-MS/MS technology in this research, which is not systematically available in Nepal,’ said scientist Sapkota. ‘The RBPR technology being used in Nepal only shows whether a pesticide is present or not, it cannot prove which pesticide is present and in what quantity.’ Therefore, it is too late to replace this method with LC-MS/MS.’

The study mentioned that the 11 types of pesticides found in rice consumed in Kathmandu include azoxystrobin, chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, difenoconazole, imidacloprid, malathion, paclobutrazol, propiconazole, tebuconazole, thimethoxam and tricyclazole. The study pointed out that the consumers here are at greater health risk as more pesticides were found in the samples collected from Kathmandu compared to Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. Rice from Kathmandu Valley was taken as a sample for this study. A survey was conducted among 120 rice farmers in Rupandehi, discussions were held among 25 pesticide sellers and rice wholesalers and mill operators were involved.

More than 65 percent of the survey participants said that vendors recommended banned pesticides, and more than 80 percent of farmers and vendors who come into direct contact with pesticides did not use the basic equipment needed to protect their health. According to the study, most vendors do not have sufficient knowledge about the serious effects of pesticides.