House panel raises issues ranging from pesticide use to monkey menace

Published On: May 16, 2023 04:00 PM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


KATHMANDU, May 16: The very first meeting of the Agriculture, Cooperative and Natural Resources Committee under the House of Representatives on Tuesday decided to draw the government's attention towards the urgency to promote domestic production of vegetables and ensure the effective testing procedures to detect pesticides in imported vegetables.

Being based on suggestions of committee members, the meeting wants the government to announce programs aimed at promoting domestic production of vegetables and controlling the use of excessive pesticides in vegetables. The meeting stressed the need for making the country self-sufficient in vegetables.

"The overuse of pesticides in fruits and vegetables has its serious implications for public health and the government is needed to carry out reliable testing to detect the level of harmful substances in the imported products within the transits," the meeting concluded.

The committee members expressed their concerns over the situation forcing peasants to clamor for irrigation facilities, fertilizers, food and seeds in the agricultural nation.  As they assessed, the government’s policies to promote domestic production and minimize imports, targets are unachievable in the absence of plans and visions.

The meeting also urged the government to prioritize the control of monkey menace increasing lately in the mid-hills and in the western hills.

The meeting was chaired by the committee’s senior-most member (by-age) Nawal Kishore Shah Sudi. Though the committee has ministers from related ministries as its ex-officio members, no minister was present in today's meeting.

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