Pesticides Found in Vegetables and Milk at Butwal Wholesale Market

Rupandehi. During the testing of taro beans brought from Chitwan to the Butwal Agricultural Produce Wholesale Market Center last week of Chaitra for sale, a large amount of pesticides was found. The beans were destroyed after pesticides were found in them.

Similarly, a few days ago, cucumbers brought from Chitwan and kept for sale at the center also had a large amount of pesticides, leading to the destruction of five hundred kilos of cucumbers.

Milk coming to Butwal from various areas was collected and tested on the 13th of Jestha, and pesticides were found, so sales have been stopped, informed Savitradevi Aryal, Deputy Mayor of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City. She also stated that consumers have been alerted not to consume such milk and vegetables.

Deputy Mayor Aryal informed that since non-removable pesticides were found mixed in the milk coming to the Butwal area, the sub-metropolis is now strictly monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, cauliflower kept for sale in Butwal's wholesale market was tested today and found to have been excessively treated with pesticides. The Pesticide Residue Rapid Analysis Laboratory Unit Butwal at the wholesale market center tested samples of green vegetables and fruits brought for wholesale sale this morning, and after finding excessive pesticide use in cauliflower, 22 kilos of cauliflower were destroyed.

The amount of 'organophosphate' group pesticide found in cauliflower brought from Marchwari Mai Rural Municipality of Rupandehi to the center in Butwal for sale was 80.89 percent, informed Rajiv Bhandari, Deputy Technical Assistant at the Pesticide Residue Rapid Analysis Laboratory Unit Butwal.

According to pesticide testing technicians, if the amount of 'carbamate' and 'organophosphate' group pesticides in vegetables is less than 35 percent, it is considered edible. Technical Assistant Bhandari said,