Kokrajhar, Dec. 19: Bhutan has taken strict measures on import of vegetables from India, especially cauliflowers, green chillies and beans from the border districts of Assam and West Bengal because of high pesticide content.

The measures were taken following last week's temporary ban ordered by the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (Bafra) on import of these vegetables.

Confirming the development, the secretary-general of the Bhutan-India Friendship Association, Gelephu chapter, Ugyen Rabten, said: "There has been strict surveillance on vegetables imported from India. It is much less now, but still continuing as local supply is not enough to meet the demands downstream."

Rabten said the ban is mostly on vegetables produced at Falakata in West Bengal and Barpeta in Assam, which are said to have high pesticide content. "There will be proper monitoring of the imports now," he said.

Assam shares 261km of the 700km international border with Bhutan.

Of this, Kokrajhar shares 85km, Baksa 83km, Chirang 40km and Udalguri 53km of international border with Bhutan.

People from Bhutan purchase most of the vegetables from border areas at Datgiri in Chirang besides Darangamela, Kumarikata, Subankhata and Nikashi in Baksa and Bhairabkhunda in Udalguri districts in Assam.

The Bhutan media has reported that the agriculture and forest ministry last week had asked Bafra to clamp a temporary ban on import of beans and cauliflowers following lab tests that showed pesticide residues higher than the permissible limit for human consumption.

Reports, quoting a ministry press release, said: "Following the recent positive test results confirmed through use of the test kits for imported fruits and vegetables, the samples of selected 10 imported fruits and vegetables have been tested in three reference food laboratories in India and Thailand." 

Assam agriculture commissioner Amlan Baruah told The Telegraph in Guwahati this evening that he is not aware of the ban, but now that the matter has been brought to the notice of the state government, it will definitely examine the issue. "Buying and selling of agri/horti produce are private activities and do not come under the purview of the agriculture department, but we will look into it since a neighbouring country is involved. We will be issuing advisories to the growers to follow the guidelines developed by our state university on use of pesticides. The ban would also have its impact on the growers about benefits of using pesticides judiciously," Baruah said.

Sources said the ban has affected bean growers in lower Assam districts.

Initially, the ban was imposed on import of potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, beans, cabbages and cauliflowers from Indian markets. But as the production of organic vegetables goes down in Bhutan, demand for vegetables grown in the border districts goes up.

"So, except beans, all other vegetables have been supplied to Bhutan as before," a vegetable vendor from Chirang district said.

The demand of vegetables grown in India is more in Bhutan because of their cheap price compared to vegetables produced in that country, a police source at Datgiri in the India-Bhutan bordering area and one of the gateways to Bhutan, told The Telegraph.

Bhutan nationals in Sarpang district of that country buy green vegetables from a big weekly market at Datgiri in India every Thursday.

"The market survives on buyers from Bhutan," Nandalal Mogor, a youth of Runikhta in Chirang district, said.

According to a section of farmers in Chirang, growers in West Bengal use higher amount of fertilisers and chemical pesticides. "Vegetable farmers in lower Assam use fertilisers and chemicals wisely. Early seasonal vegetables need high amount of chemicals for growth and their prices are also high because of the cost of the chemicals," farmers in the Bengtol area in Chirang said.