SKUAST-K celebrates “International Day of Plant Health

GNS ONLINE SOPORE

SHAKIR BHAT
SOPORE MAY 12:–Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology of Kashmir held an event to commemorate International Day of Plant Health-2022 at the Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura. Every year International Day of Plant Health is celebrated on May 12 with an aim to raise awareness for the safety of plants. On International Day of Plant Health, we come together to educate each other on how protecting plants can have effect on reducing poverty and hunger , protecting biodiversity, and promoting employment. This year’s International Day of Plant Health can highlight measures to prevent diseases for several food crops. Mankind is still unaware of these harms and this day is to raise awareness about the same. International Day of Plant Health event was organized by the University’s Biodiversity Club in collaboration with division of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura under the ICAR-World Bank funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) SKUAST-K.
Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Raihana H. Kanth in her inaugural address said that general public should be aware of the risks involved in bringing plants and plant products across borders that may harbor pests and diseases. We need to be careful when ordering plants and plant products through channels such as e-commerce with postal services that bypass regular phytosanitary controls. It is important to purchase from reputable companies that provide international phytosanitary certification for safe trade of plants and plant products. Prof. Raihana believed that farmers can prevent the spread of pests by using only certified pest-free seeds and seedlings, and regularly monitoring, controlling and reporting the occurrence of unusual pests on their farms. They should adopt environmentally friendly pest management practices, including those based on biological approaches that do not kill pollinators and use beneficial insects and organisms. She also added that SKUAST-K working directly with farmers can raise their awareness of best practices for preventing and managing pests, and provide them with practical support in implementing these practices. The programme was attended by heads of various divisions, faculty members and more than 65 UG/PG students of the faculty & students of nearby schools.