Annual Report 2009-2010 - Department of Agriculture & Co-operation

Annual Report 2009-2010
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7.1 Plant protection is of considerable
importance in overall crop production
programmes for sustainable agriculture. Plant
protection activities encompass plant quarantine,
regulation of pesticides, activities aimed at
minimising crop losses due to pests, including
locust control in desert areas, and training and
capacity building in plant protection.
7.2 Plant Quarantine: The objective of plant
quarantine is to primarily prevent the introduction
of exotic pests, diseases, and weeds through
the import of agricultural commodities or plant
material into India, and to similarly prevent the
introduction of indigenous pests, diseases, and
weeds into other countries through exports. The
Plant Quarantine (Regulations of Import into
India) Order, 2003, issued under the provisions
of the Destructive Insects and Pests Act, 1914
(DIP Act) regulates imports. Post-entry quarantine
inspection is undertaken in the case of
propagation plant material. Phytosanitary
Certificates (PSCs) are issued for exports as per
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Plant Protection
the International Plant Protection Convention
(IPPC), 1951 of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO). These functions are
discharged by 35 Plant Quarantine Stations
(PQSs) functioning under the Directorate of Plant
Protection, Quarantine, and Storage (DPPQ&S),
Faridabad, at various international airports,
seaports, and land customs stations across the
country to facilitate international trade in
agricultural products. The plant quarantine
infrastructure is created and maintained under
the central sector plan scheme, Strengthening
and Modernisation of Plant Quarantine Facilities.
It is proposed to establish molecular diagnostic
facilities at five major PQSs at Amritsar, Chennai,
Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi, open 22 new
PQSs, strengthen plant quarantine facilities at
existing PQSs as well as strengthen the
Integrated Export Certification System and
Integrated Phytosanitary Border Control System
during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. The five major
PQSs continue to provide plant quarantine
services under ISO 9001:2000 certification.