Kathmandu, July 8
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu pressed Nepal to relax its decision to carry out stringent pesticide residue tests on fresh vegetables and fruits imported from south of the border, a letter from the mission obtained by Onlinekhabar reveals.
The letter, according to sources, was dispatched by the embassy on June 29, 12 days after a government decision to conduct pesticide residue tests on imports from India was published in the official gazette. But the government backtracked on its decision on July 5.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other members of his Cabinet have been denying that the government decided to backtrack on its decision to implement new checks at the border, owing to pressure from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
In its letter, the embassy said that fruits and vegetables exported to Nepal are already tested in India and that making re-testing compulsory was akin to the imposition of non-tarrif barriers. It further added that Nepal should have provided prior notification if it were to implement a new regime. The embassy also sought justification for the move that “resulted into huge economic loss for Indian exporters.”
