Kathmandu, April 20 -- A study has found residues of 11 different pesticides in rice consumed in the Kathmandu Valley, including fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides, some of them banned.

Rice sold in Kathmandu contains higher levels of pesticides than rice distributed in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. Experts say basmati rice contains roughly double the pesticide residues compared to non-basmati varieties.

The report titled "Pesticide use and safety behaviour among rice farmers in Nepal: The assessment of theory of planned behaviour and potential health risk" was made public by Kathmandu-based Progressive Sustainable Developers Nepal and India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research.

Accor...