​​​​​​​The Indian Embassy has expressed concern over the government policy requiring all vegetable and fruit imports to be tested for chemical residues at the border, saying that lack of properly equipped labs in the country had only made the general public suffer.

The Pesticides Act, which went into effect two weeks ago, has set the maximum contaminant level for any farm product entering the country at 25 percent.

An Indian Embassy official said they held talks with high level government officials and urged them to install the necessary infrastructure at accessible locations before implementing the new rule. “We expressed concern along the lines that people in either country should not be made to suffer while abiding by the government rule,” said the anonymous embassy source.

The source also expressed concern at vegetable and fruit prices in Nepal soaring while shipments of Indian products are rotting at the border as the traders wait for the test results to come back so that they can clear them through customs.

Currently, 15 customs points in the country have plant quarantine facilities. According to the Agriculture Ministry, 11 customs points on the Nepal-India border—Kakarbhitta, Biratnagar, Bhantabari, Jaleshwor, Malangwa, Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Krishna Nagar, Rupaidiya and Gaddachauki—have plant quarantine facilities.

Currently, the labs can only test imported farm products for disease. They lack the equipment and technical manpower to test for chemical residues in imported edibles have the facilities.

There are Rapid Bioassay for Pesticide Residue Laboratories at seven locations—Kalimati, Birtamod, Malangwa, Nepalgunj, Attariya, Butwal and Pokhara. These labs can test for the presence of chemicals in vegetables and fruits, but they can test for only two groups of chemicals—organophosphate and carbamate—out of the more than two dozen types of chemicals mixed in farm products along the supply chain.

Due to the absence of chemical testing facilities at nearby locations, the traders have to travel long distances to get their samples tested. Khom Prasad Ghimire, president of the Federation of Fruits and Vegetables Entrepreneurs Nepal, said they had to get their products imported through Birgunj tested at laboratories in Malangwa or Kalimati, Kathmandu.

Netra Kaphle, a senior officer of the Agriculture Ministry, said the Indian Embassy expressed concern after a large quantity of Indian products became spoiled due to delays in obtaining lab certification. According to him, more than 60 truckloads of Indian products were damaged just in the last one week.

Officials of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies confirmed that India had expressed concern over the government’s move. According to them, the Indian

Embassy sent a letter to the ministry urging them to establish an adequate number of well equipped labs or ease the restriction. “It is normal for officials of the two countries to communicate with each other if problems arise due to government policies,” said the anonymous ministry source.