The Karnali provincial government has announced plans to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and eventually declare the province pesticide-free. However, a lack of concrete action has hindered progress toward achieving this goal.

In the initial phase, the government planned to establish pesticide testing laboratories at key entry points to Karnali and inspect fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues. Accordingly, laboratories were set up in Harre (Surkhet) and Kapurkot (Salyan)—the main gateways to the province. But these facilities remain non-operational.

To prevent the entry of pesticide-laden produce from outside Karnali, the government intended to conduct tests at these checkpoints and block contaminated goods. However, the testing process has not commenced. The laboratories are in a state of disrepair, lacking essential equipment, manpower, and budget—despite millions of rupees being spent on their construction.

For instance, a pesticide testing laboratory building was constructed six years ago at Harre, Surkhet, costing around Rs 7m. Yet, it remains unused due to the absence of skilled personnel and equipment. According to the Integrated Agricultural Laboratory of Karnali Province, the delay is mainly due to budget constraints and a shortage of technical staff.

Chitra Bahadur Rokaya, a senior agricultural economist at the Integrated Agricultural Laboratory, said, “The laboratory lacks essential equipment, and due to the absence of budget and manpower, the building itself has started to deteriorate.” He added that repeated requests to the ministry for the required resources have gone unanswered. Although six staff members were requested for the labs in Surkhet and Kapurkot, they have not been deployed.

The campaign to make Karnali an organic province began in 2017, when the first meeting of the provincial Council of Ministers made it a priority. In 2019, the second meeting of the Karnali Provincial Coordination Council decided to make the province organic within two years. To support this initiative, an agriculture-related bill was passed in 2018 during the first term of the Provincial Assembly.

Despite these policy decisions, the use of chemical pesticides continues to rise in Karnali. A premature declaration of becoming an organic province, without adequate preparation, staffing, or viable alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, has hampered implementation.

To address the issue, the provincial government has classified 718 wards based on pesticide usage. Of these, 195 are labeled as green zones (fully organic), 446 as yellow zones (moderate pesticide use), 55 as red zones (high pesticide use), 59 as green-first stage zones, and two wards as a mix of red and green. The government aims to gradually transition all wards to fully organic status.