Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates new National Institute of Plant Health Management hostel in Hyderabad

Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M.Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a new hostel of the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) at Rajendranagar, here yesterday.

Naidu praised the NIPHM's role in taking up the programme of creating master trainers to popularise simple and low cost mass rearing techniques through bio-control agents.

After inaugurating the new building, Naidu was shown bio-intensive strategies for plant health management such as agro-ecosystem analysis (AESA) in conjunction with ecological engineering for pest management. Low cost techniques for production of bio-control agents and microbial bio pesticides at the farm level were displayed.

It was brought to the notice of Naidu that tremendous potential exists for the export of seeds from Telangana, the capital of seed production in India, leveraging the international airport at Hyderabad, and the export of ornamental plants from Kadiyam in Andhra Pradesh, the capital for ornamental plants in India, while leveraging the international airport at Visakhapatnam.

Naidu assured that he will take up these issues with the state governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to provide a major thrust in this regard to develop an export hub for seeds in Telangana and an export hub for ornamental plants in Kadiyam, Andhra Pradesh, utilizing the services of the NIPHM.

He also assured the centre's necessary support in this regard.

Naidu observed that India needs to play a major role by extending necessary support to neighbouring countries so that the region's agricultural bio-security is protected, sustained and South Asia can enhance market access opportunities by being SPS compliant.

The minister was happy to note that the NIPHM has taken up the programme of creating master trainers to popularise simple and low cost mass rearing technique of bio-control agents.

Konda Vishweshawar Reddy, .MP., Chevella, Rangareddy District and T.Prakash Goud, M.L.A., Rajendranagar, were present as guests of honour.

The National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) is a premier national level institute established in the year 1966.

The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India, sanctioned an amount of Rs.593 lakhs for building a new hostel.