The Hindu Business Line : Icrisat plans bio-pesticide research group

THE International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) proposes to establish a Bio-pesticide Research Consortium (BRC) in collaboration with the private sector.

The proposed BRC will enhance the use of bio-pesticides by farmers. The partnership research will validate protocols of low-cost, commercial-scale production of microbial bio-pesticides developed at the institute. The partnership research will also promote agricultural practices that will enable farmers to protect their crops at affordable prices, according to an Icrisat press release here on Tuesday.

Stating that the institute had already initiated the process in this regard, the Icrisat Director General, Dr William Dar, said that the initial response to the idea of the consortium had been positive from the private sector.

In the first meeting held at the institute, 37 established and start-up bio-pesticide manufacturers representing 33 companies participated.

Dr Dar stated that Icrisat would transfer to the private sector companies that would become the members of the proposed consortium the technologies for the preparation of bio pesticides found successful by the institute in its campus and selected farmers fields.

It would also share the agricultural practices that could prevent pest attack on crops.

Icrisat is currently fine-tuning the technologies it had developed for the production of two bio-pesticides that kill the larvae of Helicoverpa armigera, the pod borer that attacks pigeonpea and cotton. These bio-pesticides are eco-friendly.

The institute's trials with the two bio-pesticides in the fields of 17 farmers in Andhra Pradesh during 2003-04 have shown good results. It proved that the total cost of application can be reduced to about Rs 1,000 per acre per season as against over Rs 3,000 per acre per season for chemical pesticides being spent by most cotton farmers, the press release added.

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