Camson signs MoU with Coconut Development Board

Camson Bio Technologies (Camson) today said it has signed an agreement with the Coconut Development Board (CDB) to develop non-chemical, zero-residue biocides to control red palm weevil infesting coconut plantations.
"This partnership signals the acknowledgement by the government of the potential in Camson's strengths in secondary metabolite based technology to offer a zero residue solution for a perennial problem. It is an indication of the government's initiative to promote organic farming through technical capacity building of all stakeholders," Camson Chief Executive Officer Santosh Nair said in a release issued here.
Secondary metabolite based solutions are the most advanced technologies used to make farm inputs in the organic space and Camson is the only company in the country with the requisite research experience and execution skills.

Camson has been partnered under the board's scheme 'Technology Mission of Coconut' to conduct research over a period of two years.
The red palm weevil, whose scientific name is Ryhnchophorus ferrugineus, is an economic pest that infects coconut, date, sago, oil and ornamental palms.
A severely-attacked coconut palm exhibits a rotten trunk and loss of foliage, which eventually results in its death.
Of the 40 million coconut trees in Kerala's Kochi and Travancore region, about 0.5 per cent are infected by the pest every year amounting to 2,00,000 palms.
Headquartered in Bangalore, Camson is a intellectual property rights (IPR) driven biotechnology company.