RUPANDEHI, July 2 -- Because of indifference of the government, pesticide lab in Butwal is not being used. The Rapid Bioassay for Pesticide Residue Laboratory (RBPR) is not utilized because of lack of staff in the office.

As a result, traders have been compelled to come to Kalimati of Kathmandu for pesticide testing after the government's decision that fruits and vegetables imported from India needed to be tested for pesticide clearance.

The lab that was started in August 2017 had been testing vegetables and fruits until about a year after its establishment. However, after that, the lab could not function as an effective facility for the traders. Plant Protection Officer of the lab Ram Bahadur Khatri has been transferred elsewhere. Like...