Mumbai, 19 June 2023

 

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Shobha Karandlaje, inaugurated "APPPC Workshop on Systems Approach for Management of Fruit Flies on Mango" today. This workshop has been organised by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and  APPPC IPPC (FAO) at Fortune Select Exotica, Vashi, Navi Mumbai from 19th-23rd June 2023.

Minister Shobha Karandlaje while speaking on the occasion said,  the workshop being organized in this context is not only necessary for the welfare of the farmers of the region, but also symbolizes India's growing responsibility and global contribution.

She also said that Indian agriculture has made phenomenal progress during the last two decades and the production of major agricultural commodities like food grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs and fish has  increased manifold. As a result, the per capita availability of food items has increased despite the increasing population and it has become one of the major exporters of the agricultural products to the world.

She further added that the increase in agricultural exports has a positive effect on the income of the farmers. She informed that, to ensure that farmers benefit from exports, Government of India has launched a Farmers Connect portal to provide a platform for Farmer Producer Organisations/ Companies (FPOs/FPCs) and Cooperatives to interact directly with exporters. She said, this has provided an important platform for the farmers to export their products.

While addressing the audience about mango crop she said that  there are hundreds of popular varieties of mango in different parts of our country and for production as well as export of mangoes, fruit flies are of great concern for India and many other countries. In spite of this, India is exporting mango fruits, free of fruit flies and pesticide residues to many countries. She added that  this could be possible through the implementation of Systems approach with the coordinated efforts of MoA&FW with State Governments, exporters, farmers and other stake holders.

She further informed that the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage has been formed under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and  this Directorate has developed several National Standards (NSPM) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) under which pack houses and treatment facilities have been developed across the country. These treatment facilities include, hot water treatment, vapour heat treatment and irradiation.

DPPQS Plant Protection Advisor and Standing Committee, IPM, APPPC Chairman Dr. J.P. Singh, Executive Secretary APPPC Secretariat Dr.  Dr. Yubak Dhoj GC, Director of ICAR and NBAIR under Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr. S.N. Sushil, and Mr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare were present for the workshop, while Chairperson of APPPC Advisory Group Dr.  Ko Yim, was present virtually.

All the issues and concerns for Systems approach will be discussed in detail in this workshop and countries experiences will be shared, and Systems will be improvised and harmonized for implementation in the APPPC countries and rest of the world.

This workshop also aims to provide an opportunity to exchange experience and to discuss about sustainable management of fruit flies and reduce potential risk of chemical pesticides. It will explore scope for closer collaboration among countries regarding management of fruit flies in particular as well as other plant pests in general.

About The Asia-Pacific Plant Protection Commission:- This commission is committed to protecting plant, human and animal health and the environment, facilitating trade, and protecting the sustainability of agriculture.

The Commission provides a regional forum for cooperation and the full implementation of the Plant Protection Agreement for the Asia and Pacific region. It assists in the development of measures for plant protection, including regional standards for phytosanitary measures (RSPMs), promotion of integrated pest management and the Code of Conduct for Distribution and Use of Pesticides.

 

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