Plant quarantine centres to be modernised

Plant quarantine centres in Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar and the nodal centre in Delhi would be modernised and upgraded with technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

V Raghunathan, a specialist in plant protection, and adviser, FAO, said this was aimed at proper implementation and strengthening of the basic facilities at these centres.

To enforce the Destructive Insect, Pest Act of 1910, a need was felt to modernise the centres to check on the plants and saplings being imported in future. The project of modernisation would include networking of all centres with using information technology.

A sum of Rs 25 crore had been sanctioned by the Union ministry of agriculture and besides upgrading the regional centres, 25 sub-centres would be upgraded to full-fledged quarantine centres in phases.

Another FAO project now being implemented was that of strengthening the integrated pest management scheme through field school approach and training farmers with the help of respective state governments.

FAO is also assisting with technical issues to upgrade and provide autonomy to the 41-year-old National Plant Protection Training Institute at Hyderabad. For the project, a sum of Rs 25 crore has been sanctioned and after the cooling period of five years, the institute will run with its own resources generated within.

A national level workshop-cum-symposium would be held in Hyderabad in the third week of January sponsored by FAO, agriculture ministry, Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the Andhra Pradesh government.

The participants would include stakeholders from bio-fertiliser manufacture and users. Through the event, the farmers and self-help groups would be sensitised on the usage of bio-fertiliser instead of chemical fertiliser.

Under the guidance of FAO, a pest surveillance scheme was launched in the country, said Ragunathan. Under the project, a hand-held device was developed capable of identifying pest and insects affecting the plant. As a pilot venture, four districts in Andhra Pradesh "� Guntur, Warangal, Kurnool and Ranga Reddy have been selected.