All-India meet on safe use of pesticides begins at SKUAST-K

Srinagar, Oct 9: The 31st annual meet of the All-India Network Project on Pesticide Residues to discuss the strategies for safe and judicious use of pesticides began Monday at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Shuhama campus.

A statement issued here said that the three-day meeting will discuss ways for keeping the pesticide residual levels at a minimum for safe human and environmental health and faster promotion of Agri-Exports from India.

Deputy Director General (Crop Science & Horticulture), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, Dr TR Sharma, who was the chief guest at the inaugural session, complimented the experts of All India Network Projects on Pesticide Residues for generating the national-level residue data for planning, safe and judicious use of agrochemicals and also on its other achievements at national and international platforms.

Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, in his address, said the excessive use of pesticides has become a concern but the fact that pesticide use in Jammu and Kashmir being highest in the country is a bigger challenge.

He emphasised speeding up the efforts on integrated pest management by bringing on biological controls, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, and efficient spraying machines for reducing pesticide use by sight and point-specific applications. He also stressed about speeding up the efforts for breeding resilient crops to withstand biotic and abiotic stresses.

Additional Director General (Plant Protection and Biosafety), ICAR, Dr SC Dubey congratulated all the centres across the country for generating large data sets on minimum residual levels for various crops. He further added that the judicious use of pesticides is the most vital component of modern agriculture and India should be a torch bearer to the world.

Network Coordinator DrVandanaTripathy briefed about ongoing national-level trials on pesticide residues, highlighting the achievements of the network and the importance of NABL accreditation of laboratories working in the field of pesticide residual analysis. Director, Research, SKUAST-K, Dr TH Masoodi highlighted national-level policies for the safe and sustainable use of pesticides for larger exports and better economic returns for the farmers. The three-day meeting is attended by more than 115 delegates working on similar lines from all across the nation. The annual report and technical bulletins on the safe and judicious use of pesticides on Okra were also released. Head Research Centre for Residue and Quality Analysis, SKUAST-K, DrMehraj-ud-Din Shah presented the vote of thanks.