Pest Control pins hopes on bio-agent based products

Biological control agents like pheromone lures and traps are increasingly gaining acceptance as being more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable methods of pest control in agriculture, claimed Pest Control India (PCI).

"We mimic chemicals or pheromones that insects produce and use them in the form of pheromone traps for either monitoring or mass trapping purposes", said Nikhil Chatterjee, vice-president for marketing at PCI.

The Integrated Pest Management(IPM) Package released by the ministry of agriculture, GoI, has laid stress on the bio-pesticides and biological control agents, he claimed.

PCI was the first company in India to commercially introduce pheromone technology for agricultural use in 1987.

Since then the company has developed 21 lures and traps for common agricultural pests including the tobacco caterpillar,sugarcane stock borer, fruit fly, potato tuber moth among others.

Pheromones specifically disrupt the reproductive cycle of harmful insects.

This is especially useful in the sense, the farmers can use the technology to reduce the amount of insecticide they need, spraying only when the insects are in a vulnerable state or their numbers exceed certain levels, said Chatterjee.

As there is no alternation to the natural biological and ecological cycle, there is hardly any environmental or health hazard, he added.

The proportion of chemicals used in the lure is also minimal, claimed Chaterjee.

As for costs, a sachet of lure can cost around Rs 350 together with the trap at Rs 150 that can last a full season for a coconut field, he said.

The traps are customised for each pest that it is targeted at, and are made of plastic so that they can be re-used by the farmer.

Costs for sugarcane pest lures can be lower even at Rs 20 per acre.

Therefore, the farmer can get a portable and more natural form of crop protection at a fraction of the cost that he incurs for an usual pesticide, he added.

In terms of market share, biological control tools dominate a negligible percentage of the domestic market, Chatterjee admitted.

This is primarily because of lack of awareness, he claimed.

PCI has developed tie-ups with several agricultural universities across the country and has a field expenses and education department manned by experts and local farmers who work in conjunction with product sales department to popularise the tool in villages.

Large farmers play an important role in the network.

It has been working with major companies like the ITC through its chaupal network for the last three to four years using ITC Chaupal Sagars for distribution.