Kerala - Kozhikode   

Top scientists to attend spices seminar in Kozhikode

Special Correspondent

Eco-friendly technologies to be discussed at the meet

KOZHIKODE: Top scientists and officials involved in management of spices would be in Kozhikode to participate in the two-day national conference on organic spices and aromatic crops from February 1.

Arecanut and Spices database and a souvenir are being released at the conference to be held at Malabar Palace.

The event is a joint endeavour of government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGO) working in the field of spices and arecanut, Dr. M. Tamil Selvan, Director-Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development and Dr. A.K. Sadanandan, agricultural scientist and secretary, Biogreen India, announced at a press conference in Kozhikode on Saturday.

The publications, Arecanut and Spices database and the souvenir, would be an attempt to highlight the significance of organic agriculture with special reference to Indian spices.

Scientists, researchers and senior bureaucrats like S.K. Pattanayak, Joint Secretary - National Horticultural Mission, Government of India and K.S. Money, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, New Delhi are among the participants.

Among the scientists who are scheduled to speak at the technical session on crop production are Dr. G.K. Veeresh, former Vice Chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and Dr. A.K. Sadanandan, former co-ordinator for Spices and secretary Biogreen India.

Eco-friendly plant protection technologies to fight pests and control diseases are among the subjects to be discussed.

Dr. V.A. Parthasarathy, Director - Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), would chair the session on status of organic spices and aromatic plants. Dr. K.S. Anil Kumar, Mission Director, State Horticulture Mission, would be one of the speakers at this session.

There would be a separate session on accreditation and certification and presentation of papers on government initiatives in National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) and certification in promoting organic crop production.

An interface programme featuring farmers and scientists has also been arranged.

While Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development under the Ministry of Agriculture is hosting the national seminar, Regional Centre of Organic Farming, Bangalore, Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Spices Board, Kochi, and Biogreen India and Indian Society of Organic Agriculture, are also involved in organising in the event. It will be inaugurated by Mayor M. Bhaskaran at a function to be presided by Dr. K.V. Ahammed Bavappa, former Director of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod.

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