Observance of No Pesticide Use Week
Lalitpur - Observance of No Pesticide Use Week (3-10 December 2016) kicked off today in Kathmandu with various public awareness building programs against the use of hazardous pesticide in agro-vet products.
On the first day of the week, Minister of Agricultural Development Gauri Shankar Choudhary led a walkathon participated by the government officials, farmers, members of civil society and FAO experts. More than 400 men and women walked through the main streets of the city carrying placards with awareness building slogans and messages.
Addressing a gathering after the walkathon, Minister Choudhary said that public and private sectors should pay attention for endorsement and implementation of legislation to control the use of hazardous pesticides.
Stressing on the need of minimizing the use of toxic pesticides, Annapurna Das, Secretary at Ministry of Agricultural Development, appealed the experts and entrepreneurs to promote alternate provision of bio-pesticide.
Welcoming the gathering, Dr Dilli Ram Sharma, Director of the Plant Protection Directorate, said that despite minimal quantity of use of the chemical pesticide in Nepal comparison to other countries, the farmers and consumers are facing threats of health hazards due to lack of knowledge on its proper use.
Representing the consumers’ forums, Prem Lal Maharjan and Jyoti Baniya also addressed the gathering.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been extending support to the Government of Nepal in the Integrated Pest Management Program in Nepal since two decades. Currently, FAO is providing technical support on institutionalization of Nepal Good Agriculture Practices and capacity building of the government and the farmers’ community in order to enhance the skill on pesticide management. Similarly, FAO has been promoting the market outlet of the safe agro produces in Kathmandu and other cities of Nepal.