Dadeldhura vegetables found pesticide safe detected in vegetables

By Our Correspondent,Dadeldhura, Jan. 23: No harmful pesticides were detected in the vegetables produced in Dadeldhura. The samples were collected from different markets of Dadeldhura and no harmful pesticides were found in the laboratory tests.

Khem Raj Paneru, Chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Dadeldhura, said that in the laboratory test conducted by the Central Agricultural Laboratory, Pesticide Residue Rapid Analysis Laboratory Unit, Attaria, Kailali, the amount of harmful pesticides for human health was not high in vegetables. According to him, fruit and vegetable samples such as cauliflower, tomato, banana were collected from different markets of Dadeldhura and examined.

According to the laboratory, the carbamate and organophosphate in pesticides used in vegetables affect human health. He said that its quantity was detected to be low in the samples of vegetables and fruits collected from Dadeldhura market. “If the amount of these elements is more than 35 per cent, it is poisonous, which means it will cause harm to health. But this was not seen in the tested vegetables,” he said.

He said that in the report of the laboratory unit, in one sample of the examined cauliflower, carbamate 0.62 per cent and organophosphate 3.82 per cent was found while in another sample, carbamate 2.12 per cent, organophosphate 3.18 per cent, and in the third sample of cauliflower, carbamate 0.30 per cent and organophosphate 6.03 per cent was found.

Similarly, in one sample of tomato, carbamate 1.99 per cent, organophosphate 2.53 per cent, in the second sample, carbamate 9.55 per cent, organophosphate 16.41 per cent and in the third sample, carbamate 6.99 per cent, organophosphate 4.86 per cent was observed. He said that a report was received that fruits and vegetables are suitable for consumption as carbamate 7.59 per cent and organophosphate 5.07 per cent was found in banana samples.

The vegetables and fruits as samples have been collected from the market of Amargadhi Municipality-5 Bagbazar and Amargadhi Municipality-11, Sallaghari market, said Paneru. According to the laboratory report, it is mentioned that if these elements in vegetables are less than 35 per cent, they should be consumed, if 35 per cent, they should be kept for a few days and if they are above 45 per cent, they should be destroyed. In Dadeldhura, vegetables are being cultivated in 1,371 hectares of land.

According to Paneru, around 18.46 tonnes of vegetables are produced in the district yearly. Of the total production, around 10 per cent is being consumed in Dadeldhura and 90 per cent is being sent outside the district.