Scenario Of Pesticide Import, Formulation, Consumption And The Residue Status Among Agricultural Crops In Nepal

The haphazard and unsystematic pesticide use has marred the existing conventional agriculture system of Nepal and Nepalese agriculture is also impinged from its impact to a great extent. Pesticide use being less tedious, more economic, and easy to use in one hand and high import of the pesticides through pervious border on the other has made farmers to embrace pesticide dependent farming practices more often. The study is focused on assessing the pesticide use status of the country, import and formulation, pesticide residue on agricultural produces from few years back to present, and the dire economy supposed to be forecasted in Nepalese agriculture in near future as a result of these scenarios. The chemical pesticides were imported in the country during 1950s for the first time. The national average of pesticide use is 396gm a.i/ha. The terai region of the country is hotspot of excessive pesticide use (995 gm a.i/ha). Among the pesticides used in agricultural produces, vegetables dominate the most (90%). The highest percentage share of the pesticide on total pesticide use is fungicide (49%). Reviewing the trend of 20 years scenario of pesticide import from 1997/98 to 2017/18, the result seems transcending surprisingly. The increment of pesticide residue in agricultural produce such as fruits and vegetables is challenging the human and animal health as well as encumbering the goal to food security and sustainability. This scenario directs the need of healthy agricultural practices to abate the impacts of excessive pesticide use so as to ensure food and nutritional security and agricultural sustainability.