Kathmandu: Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ramnath Adhikari, has formed a five-member task force to investigate the impact of pesticide use on farmers’ health in certain wards of Gandaki Rural Municipality, Gorkha. The task force is headed by Senior Plant Protection Officer Manoj Pokhrel.

The decision to form the committee was prompted by recent media reports highlighting serious health issues among farmers due to excessive pesticide use in vegetable farming in the municipality. Minister Adhikari, who has consistently advocated for toxin-free agricultural practices, acted swiftly after reports emerged that 61 vegetable farmers in the municipality had been diagnosed with cancer, and 15 had suffered kidney failure.

The task force includes Dr. Kashinath Chiluwal, a scientist from the Nepal Agricultural Research Council; Rijan Karki, a food research officer from the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control; Vivek Sunar, a plant protection officer from the Central Agriculture Laboratory; and Madhav Bhatt, a plant protection officer from the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center.

The emergency meeting held on Bhadra 11, 2081 BS, under the chairmanship of Minister Adhikari, decided to form the task force to investigate the misuse of pesticides in Gandaki Rural Municipality and submit a detailed report.

The task force has been instructed to visit the affected areas and provide a comprehensive report on the situation. The Pokhrel-led team began its work on Wednesday, immediately visiting the impacted locations.