Pest Control

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has invited more than 1,000 farmers and their spouses to the National Capital for a special two-day programme coinciding with the 78th Independence Day celebrations. The invitees, beneficiaries of central schemes like PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and PM Fasal Bima Yojana, will interact with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at PUSA's Subramaniam Hall on August 15. Ministers of State Ramnath Thakur and Bhagirath Choudhary will also be present. On the occasion, Chouhan is set to launch the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS), a digital initiative leveraging AI and machine learning to provide timely pest management advisories. The system, comprising a mobile app and web portal, aims to reduce crop losses and boost productivity through real-time data and advanced analytics. "NPSS will empower farmers with actionable insights, helping them make informed decisions to protect their crops," the ministry said in a statement.

So far no unusual rise in attacks seen in most crops

Directs Centre to review decision with all stakeholders in the interim and come out with a solution

Allows use only by authorised Pest Control Operators

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has developed an energy-efficient pest controlling device for smaller agricultural tracts

The measures to control the spread of crop threatening migratory pest desert locusts have so far been undertaken in more than 522,000 hectares area in 10 states since April

While it is easier to check its use in urban areas, as most of the 300 registered PCOs are in cities, keeping a track in rural areas after the chemical has been sold by the retailer is an uphill task

Industry terms the move detrimental to India's food security; activists say 'useless'

The local residents and farmers have been enlightened on the subject, while the village level committees and bodies have been mobilised to make a coordinated effort against the threat

In Rajasthan, which has been worst hit, officials say 90,000 hectares in 20 districts have been affected; standing crop in 4,000 hectares in Sri Ganganagar, 100 hectares in Nagaur has been destroyed

Higher than normal temperatures have helped locusts spread more rapidly in different parts of the states

Locust attacks in 12 countries have damaged crops over millions of hectares since 2019. African and West Asian nations have been battling swarms since December

Govt should prepare to protect farms from locust invasion

The agriculture ministers of Pakistan, India, Iran and Afghanistan will connect via video-conferencing on March 11 to chalk out a strategy to deal with invasion

The issue was discussed in detail at a high-level meeting, chaired by Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal

Effective monitoring for timely warning and prompt large-scale control operations, preferably through aerial spraying, seems imperative for good results

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