Plant health vital for food security, says NIPHM boss

Hyderabad: The National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) Director General G Jayalakshmi said plant health management is vital for the sustainable agriculture, food security, food safety, agro-based industries and economy of the country.

Inaugurating the 15-day international training programme on “Plant Health Management Technologies and Approaches,” she said that the training programmes have been planned to impart an insight to technologies available for sustainable plant health management in Asian and African countries.

In turn, it will be helpful for the officials to carry forward the sound plant health technologies to their own country and to improve the food security and livelihood of farmers, she added. Further, the training plays an effective tool, to transfer the new technologies related to plant health management, apart from creating a knowledge platform and boosting ties between India and other countries.

The programme is funded by USAID and it is being conducted in collaboration with National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) and 24 delegates from Afghanistan, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Sudan and Uganda are participating in the training programme. Institute Registrar D Chanchala Devi and other faculty members of the institute were present at the inaugural session.