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Food safety will be the primary goal of agricultural scientists and industry, said M. Raghunandan Rao, Secretary, (Dept. of Agriculture and Cooperation, Govt. of Telangana) and Vice-Chancellor, PJTSAU, said
Addressing the inaugural session of a four-day International conference on Plant Health management, which began here today, he said: “The coming 50 years are crucial from plant health management perspective,” he said. Farmers should be trained in precision agriculture to ensure the targeted use of pesticides and fertilizers.
The conference is being organised by the Plant Protection Association of India at the Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University. Sarada Jayalakshmi Devi, Vice-Chancellor, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, said there was a need to identify resistant genes for various pests and diseases to develop high-yielding varieties.
- Also read: Universal as well as country-specific food safety standards required: Union Health Minister
“Excessive use of chemicals to control various pests and diseases is leading to minor pests becoming major ones. The focus should be on bio-control agents, natural enemies and ecofriendly applications towards attaining sustainability,” she said.
Inclusive approach
In their presentations, various agriculture experts from India and abroad called for a One Health approach to achieve a well-rounded and sustainable growth of humans, plants, animals, soil and the environment.
P Sarath Babu, Chair of the International Conference on Plant Health Management 2023, said the One Health approach is inclusive, taking care of all the crucial aspects of agriculture, including plant health, soil health, animal health and the environment.
Sasirekha Rajendran and Ravi Khetrapal of APAARI (Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions), said there were certain deficiencies in geographical distribution and and partnerships as One Health initiatives were rolled out.
Citing the findings of One Health Networks (OHN), they felt that these deficiencies could potentially undermine the effectiveness and sustainability of One Health’s objectives.
“One Health is aimed at combating urgent threats to Global health. Community stakeholders have been underrepresented in the design and agenda. There is a need for a transformative shift within the one Health movement,” Rajendran and Khetrapal said.
“We need to bring together multi-sectoral agencies working on plant, human, and animal diseases,” they said. The experts call for fostering awareness, drafting policies and nurturing networking opportunities among diverse stakeholders within the One Health paradigm.
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