Threats to human health when pesticides try to protect crops

 Threats to human health when pesticides try to protect crops

Raju Thapa of Dang's Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city-12 Dokrena has cultivated vegetables on 10 bighas of land. In his farm, which has been cultivated commercially since 2076, vegetables such as Parsi, Golvenda, Cauli are now planted.

Thapa had planted 'Gaurav' and 'Chow' varieties of Golva in 3 out of 10 bigha fields. However, the sheep named Chow suddenly died. When the ripening lambs started dying rapidly, he called a technician and administered medicine. But the golbenda plants did not stop dying.

Showing the calculation that it cost 10 lakhs to plant this farm, Thapa says, 'If we could have sold all the fruits, we would have earned 18 lakhs. Every year such a problem occurs in some crop. When the problem started, I tried to save the vegetables, even if it was by using pesticides.

In Thapa's experience, efforts to save vegetables through pesticides and medicines have become regular and mandatory. He says that pesticides should be applied at least 2 to 3 times on vegetables and agricultural crops and the use of chemical fertilizers has also become mandatory. He says that cow manure (organic) cannot be used instead of chemical fertilizers and crops cannot be saved without the use of medicines.

Mahendra Adhikari of Tulsipur-2 Muchot in Dang has been in commercial agriculture for 8 years. He says that it is compulsory to use pesticides on vegetables and agricultural produce. In the beginning, he made many attempts to do organic farming. However, he says that he failed in all his efforts.

He also drowned when he took the stand of not using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. When the golvenda planted on 18 kattha land started dying, they said to use organic pesticides, they brought nimviil and made a medicine by adding cow wheat and vanamara, the officer says, "All the golvenda died." Nothing could be saved.

In the experience of eight years of agricultural work, it is not possible to cultivate without using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. He says that after all efforts to save the farm from cow-buffalo urine and other mixtures failed, the farmers were forced to use pesticides.

I have more than a dozen pesticides, including eight pesticides and five fungi. At some point we have to use them' the officer adds, 'We do not use them when harvesting and sending to the market. However, he did not leave under compulsion. You have to risk your own life and spray pesticides. It is not a desire to eat the same harvest, but a compulsion.

Farmers involved in commercial farming readily admit that they are used to using pesticides and medicines in one form or another. The use of pesticides in Nepal is increasing every year due to easy availability, greed to increase and preserve production and weak government regulation. It is being used from daily use agricultural products to primary agricultural products.

Increased use of banned pesticides

Apart from green vegetables in Nepal, the use of pesticides is also increasing in major food crops such as rice, wheat and corn. According to the Agricultural Census 2078 report released by the Central Statistics Office, even the pesticides banned by the government from import and use have reached the hands of farmers. Banned pesticides are being used by farmers in villages. About 70,000 farmers are using harmful pesticides as pesticides.

According to agricultural census, 580 thousand out of 41 lakh 30 thousand farmer families are using pesticides on vegetables and agricultural produce. Among them, 3 lakh 51 thousand farmers were found to be using pesticides of a serious nature. 69 thousand families are using very harmful pesticides which are banned in Nepal and cannot be imported. It has been discovered during the calculation that these pesticides are being used in vegetables and major food crops that we use every day.

According to the information released a few days ago, the number of farmer families using pesticides permitted by the government to import and use is 290,000. Out of the 3 categories that are pointed out as more harmful, the number of farmers using blue category pesticides is 282 thousand.

12 lakh 33 thousand farmer families are using pesticides in paddy fields. Out of which, the number of farmers who use green class approved pesticides is 486,000. There are 548 thousand farmers who use blue class pesticides. There are 184,000 people who use yellow class pesticides. The number of farmer families using red class pesticides is 14 thousand 711.

The government classifies pesticides based on the effect of the pesticide and the severity of its harm. Among them, 24 types of pesticides have been banned.

In the last decade, the use of pesticides has been increasing. Compared to 2068, the number of farmers using pesticides on rice has increased by 15.6 percent in 2078. The use of pesticides is also increasing in the food we need daily in our kitchen like corn, wheat, potatoes.

5 lakh 28 thousand farmers who produce vegetables are using pesticides on green vegetables. Out of which, 3 thousand 857 farmers are using harmful and unauthorized pesticides. The number of farmers who use yellow class pesticides in the harmful list is about 68 thousand.

Bhaktapur, Kavre, Nepal-India border districts and Dang are among the places where pesticides are used in vegetables, according to the statistics office. But the use of pesticides is gradually spreading throughout the country.

It has been shown that 70,000 farmers in 39 districts use harmful pesticides on their agricultural produce. Among these, it is mentioned in the report that the use of pesticides is increasing in the districts of Madhesh province. Apart from that, the use of pesticides is also spreading in Jhapa, Sunsari and other districts. The use of harmful pesticides is also increasing in Madhesh province.

From the point of view of human health, any pesticide use in food is harmful in itself. Also, the use of certain types of pesticides on the basis of less damage is open worldwide. Nepal has also specified the amount of pesticides in basic food items such as vegetables and fruits. However, agricultural census data shows that the use of harmful and banned pesticides is widespread in the areas where commercial farming has flourished due to weak regulation and in the open border areas of Terai.

Madhesh province has been found to be the province and district that use the most pesticides. In Sunsari and Jhapa of Koshi province, the use of pesticides has been seen as alarming. The use of harmful pesticides in Madhesh province, which has an open border between Nepal and India, has been seen as appalling.

According to the statistics office, 36 thousand 350 farmer families are using harmful pesticides on their vegetables. The number of farmer families using blue class pesticides is 25 thousand 600, while the number of farmer families using yellow class pesticides is 9 thousand 737. The number of farmers using highly harmful pesticides is 1 thousand 13 households. Among them, Dhanusha ranks first in the district of Madhesh province where harmful pesticides are used a lot. It has been found that 8 thousand 253 farmer families of the district use harmful pesticides on vegetables.

However, the use of such pesticides has not decreased due to open borders, weak government regulation and farmers' shenanigans. So far, the government has banned chlordane, DDT, dryaldrin, endrin, aldrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, lindane, beech, phosphamidon, organomercury chloride, methylparathion, monocrotof, indosulfan, phorate, carbofrauran, carbaryl, dichlorvus, triazophus, kaifiat, Dicofol, carbosulfan, aluminum phosphide 3 gram tablet has been banned for import and sale in Nepal. However, the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Office, the central government body for pesticide management, says that there is no such situation that these pesticides are not used in Nepal.

Pesticide use in Nepal

Prithviraj Lamichhane is working as an agricultural economist at Krishi Gyan Kendra Dang. When they get close to the agricultural fields and farmers of their region, they experience the pain of the pesticides they are using. In Lamichhane's experience, most of the farmers are using pesticides indiscriminately due to ignorance, hope of high profits and no assurance of investment security. In many places that he visited the field, it is found that the medicine is being used even before the insect attack. He has experience that farmers are using drugs like Dietnim 45, Sachch, Cypermethin.

He says that these pesticides belong to the pesticide group and although their use is allowed in Nepal, there is widespread ignorance about the method of use. Lamichhane says that there is no difference in the market price whether pesticides are used or not, there is no certainty of assistance in compensation for the loss of production caused by not using pesticides, and farmers are using pesticides on the advice of pesticide sellers. "Agrovet gives pesticides to the farmers to be applied every 7-7 days. In our experience, it seems that the farmers are using it without understanding whether it is necessary or not' says Lamichhane, 'The use of pesticides is taught and regulated by government technicians, but it has been seen that traders are using it from their commercial point of view. In some cases, it is also seen that farmers themselves reach to India and bring pesticides.

According to Lamichhane, it has been found that some Dang farms have used more pesticides in order to produce faster. He said that they are using pesticides to protect the market of their products due to the fear of Indian sheep entering the market. "Farmers' understanding that the product ripens faster after using a high amount of pesticides has also been seen," he said.

He said that there is a fear that the investment will be at risk if the farmers do not use pesticides. He said that when increasing the use of pesticides for their presence in the competitive and profitable market, a room similar to a pesticide shop will be found in the farms of farmers who do commercial farming in an area of ​​more than 3 bighas in the district. Lamichhane also said that some farmers use pesticides on vegetables and agricultural produce produced for sale in the market, and cultivate pesticide-free crops for their own consumption.

Due to the changing tradition of farming in Nepal, the government has admitted that the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is spreading in its production. According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the more commercial agriculture grows, the more pesticides are used.

Maheshchandra Acharya, senior crop protection officer of the office, says that the chain of agricultural produce that is produced by using organic fertilizers for one's own home, such as the traditional agriculture, i.e. home, karesabari, has been destroyed. Acharya says that the practice of growing for oneself has decreased after migration to the city, the challenge of meeting the demand for vegetables required by the high population density of the city and the commercial tendency to make more profit has promoted the use of pesticides.

He said that pesticides are currently being used at the rate of 387 grams per hectare in Nepal. He said that although the use of pesticides per hectare is less compared to developed countries, Nepal is in the leading position in terms of human and environmental damage caused by pesticides. He says that due to ignorance of pesticide use, unsafe use and open borders, restricted and high-risk pesticides are being used. In South Korea, pesticide use is 15 kg per hectare. There is only 386 grams in Nepal, but the damage caused by the use of pesticides is more in Nepal than in Korea. Due to the lack of awareness and technology among the users, pesticides have not been used properly.

The management center says that although the use of pesticides will naturally increase as Nepal leaves Raithane and traditional agriculture and takes steps for commercial agriculture, the state's investment is not enough to control its unscientific use. The Center says that due to the open borders, there has been no progress in controlling the entry of pesticides, awareness of pesticide use and discouragement of pesticide use. According to Acharya, the unsafe use of pesticides is becoming more dangerous due to problems such as the breakdown of the agricultural information system after federalism and the reduction of manpower to provide information regarding pesticide use. According to the office, there is still a lack of information regarding the use of harmful and banned pesticides, but no action will be taken. According to a study conducted by the United Nations Food Program (FAO) in 2016, developing countries use 25 percent of the pesticides consumed worldwide, but 90 percent of people who die due to pesticides are from this region.

According to FAO statistics, the average use of pesticides in Nepal is 396 grams of special poison per hectare. Looking at crops in particular, the situation of pesticide use seems to be dire. 2100 grams per hectare in tea, 2560 grams in cotton, 1605 grams in vegetables and 46 grams per hectare in other cereals are being used. Similarly, 186 grams per hectare of poison is being used in cash crops, 50 grams in pulses, and 29 grams per hectare in fruits. According to FAO, if we look at the use of pesticides based on geographical conditions, 85 grams per hectare of pesticides are being used in the mountains, 315 grams in the mountains, 995 grams in the plains and 470 grams per hectare in the valleys.

Weak regulation of pesticide use

A few years ago, after two vendors in Lalitpur and Chitwan used harmful pesticides, the Pesticide Management Center started legal action. According to the office, the court has decided to take action and compensate the pesticide seller in Lalitpur, while the action against the foreign investment company in Chitwan is in the process. The office is saddened that even though sporadic actions and monitoring are being carried out, this kind of infrastructure and manpower in pesticide control does not bring good results and the existing infrastructure and manpower are also being eroded.

According to the office, it is clear that in order to stop the uncontrolled use of pesticides, the first step is to stop the introduction of pesticides. Senior crop protection officer Acharya says that there are 171 small and main checkpoints on the Nepal-India border, and there are 41 main customs offices and only 15 of them have plant quarantine and pesticide management offices. "If we are to leave open border movement and immigration, there are no offices and manpower to check for pesticides at the 156 checkpoints where the government is present," he added, "No matter where the pesticides are brought from, it is a situation where they can be brought."

According to the office, the structure of internal regulation and the awareness mechanism like the open import of pesticides have also become haphazard. In order to implement federalism, the government abolished the district structure of agriculture and adopted the policy of knowledge centers in the provinces and agricultural technicians at the local level. The post of one pesticide inspector in each district to carry out activities such as pesticide import, sale, use, harmful pesticide testing was abolished.

The Pesticide Management Office said that due to the lack of new posts in accordance with the federal structure, agricultural technicians have to be relied on for pesticide control at the local level and as the previous post inspectors are retiring, the manpower for pesticides is running out.

Currently, there is hardly one person in Karnali province, 2 people in Madhesh province, and there are no pesticide inspectors in any other province. According to the office, the use of pesticides, its harm and the situation of illegal pesticide use are still not under the scope of study, as it is difficult to reach technical access even from the Agricultural Knowledge Center, which is supposed to look at 3 or two districts in 77 districts.

Risk to human health

Studies have shown that there are two types of serious effects on human health, immediate and long-term, due to pesticides and food containing pesticides. There are 22 immediate effects and 9 long-term effects. Dizziness, paralysis/fainting, feeling tired, loss of consciousness, headache, vomiting, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain/heaviness, muscle fatigue/tremors, nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea There are symptoms such as itching, skin thickening, skin cracking/itching/blistering, skin redness/whitening, staggering, insomnia, twitching of the eyelids.

Similarly, symptoms such as redness of the eyes, burning, tearing, blurred vision, burning nose, thin snot, excessive drooling are the short-term effects of pesticides. Similarly, cancer/tumors, respiratory diseases, neurological and behavioral effects, effects on physical development and congenital disabilities, effects on immunity, paralysis, hereditary changes, liver damage, reduced fertility or sterility/impotence, mental imbalances and chronic There is a risk of allergies.

Lately, excessive pesticides are being used in the soil to kill weeds. Pesticides like Nuan, Cyper Machine, Ibium, Indore are being sprinkled on the soil in an arbitrary manner by the farmers.

In a study conducted by the Nepal Health Research Council in 2071, it published a report that the use of pesticides in Nepal is terrible. It is mentioned in the report that despite being aware of the harm of pesticides, they use pesticides without taking safety measures and experience the harmful effects of pesticides. It was also observed in the study that the participants of the study had chronic diseases, used pesticides prohibited by the government, and people consumed pesticides due to the wrong management of pesticides.

According to an international research published in 2019 by Sagar Jisi and Jyoti Neupane, researchers of the University of Agriculture and Forestry, due to the use of pesticides, chronic diseases of a complex nature, infertility and the weight of new-born children have also been affected. According to the study, the use of pesticides is increasing at the rate of 10 percent every year in Nepal. According to the research, the risk of diseases ranging from skin allergies to cancer has increased due to more pesticides. Likewise, when pregnant women are exposed to pesticides, the risk to the fetus increases and the delivery process itself is seen to be unsafe. It was claimed in the study that the weight of the new born baby was reduced by 13 grams. Similarly, it was said in the study that the length of the child also decreased.

Chitlang in Makwanpur is the main place to supply vegetables in Kathmandu Valley. Farmer Rajendra Bidari has been involved in agriculture for a decade. He narrated the experience of using chemicals and pesticides on the land saying that within a few years there will be no agricultural produce in Chitlang.

"Now agriculture without drugs (pesticides) has become something beyond imagination," says Bidari, "It is not certain which farmers use what." Vegetables and crops have been saved by the use of pesticides, but no one cares about its harm.

According to Bidari, recently excessive pesticides are being used on the soil to kill weeds. Pesticides like Nuan, Cyper Machine, Ibium, Indore are being sprinkled on the soil in an arbitrary manner by the farmers.

Lekhnath Bhusal, another farmer of Chitwan, says that farmers are using pesticides and medicines carefully. He believes that farmers are using chemicals in agriculture not as pesticides but as medicine. However, he said that pesticides and insecticides are used in such a way that they are allowed by the government and cause less harm to the human body.

It has been seen that 594,000 farmer families have used pesticides on corn. Among them, the number of farmers using green group pesticides is 239 thousand 479, while the number of farmers using blue group pesticides is 2 lakh 38 thousand 811, the farmers using yellow group pesticides are 1 lakh 6 thousand 563 and the number of farmers using red category pesticides is 9 thousand 563. have a family

According to the calculation, it has been found that 5 lakh 80 thousand 302 farming families are also using pesticides on wheat. Out of which 229 thousand 194 farming families have used green class pesticides approved by the government, 2 lakh 82 thousand 21 families are using blue class, 62 thousand 771 families are using yellow class and 6 thousand 316 families are using highly harmful red class class pesticides.

6 thousand families put harmful pesticides on potatoes

According to statistics, 6 lakh 42 thousand 188 farmers are using pesticides on potatoes. Among them, 6 thousand 268 farmer families are using very harmful pesticides on vegetables.

3 lakh 20 thousand 753 families are using green class pesticides, 236 thousand 405 families are using blue class pesticides, 78 thousand 765 families are using yellow class pesticides. According to Statistics Office, the number of farmers using pesticides on potatoes has increased by 10.8 percent in the last 10 years.

Public Health Dr. Sharad Vant says that the study about the situation of pesticide use in agriculture in Nepal is weak. He said that from the indicative results of independent studies conducted by some individuals and organizations, it is serious in itself that there are serious health problems in pregnant women and weight loss in newborns.

He says that there are serious health problems such as the recent increase in the population of cancer and the alarming number of kidney failure and that there is no study in the background. "We did not study the effects of the terrible situation of pesticide use, the state did not invest enough" Dr. Vant says, "If we think that the issue of pesticides is only for farmers and agriculture, we will be in big trouble."