Tomar inaugurates Integrated Biological Control Laboratory at NIPHM

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday inaugurated the Integrated Biological Control Laboratory (BC-Lab) at the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad. A government statement said the inauguration of the facility is an important milestone towards the development of chemical-free sustainable agriculture in India. This facility will help the extension personnel to promote non-chemical alternatives of pest management in agricultural and horticultural crops.

Trained officers will train farmers in the respective areas to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and promote the use of eco-friendly practices for pest management. The facility will also help in enhancing the knowledge and skills of agriculture officers, extension officers and farmers in the field of soil health management, organic farming and natural farming in the country. After inaugurating the laboratory, Tomar stressed the need to take the technologies developed in this laboratory to the farmers.

He said that the use of bio-control for pests is necessary to reduce the cost of cultivation and increase the income of the farmers, along with eliminating the adverse effects of excessive pesticide use in various crops. The minister also emphasized that organically produced agricultural commodities being exported to the foreign market should not contain any pesticide residue in order to maintain the country’s brand image. Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Telangana Agriculture Secretary Raghunandan Rao, NIPHM Director General Sagar Hanuman Singh were also present in the programme.

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