Navi Mumbai: Shobha Karandlaje inaugurates workshop on ‘Systems Approach for Management of Fruit Flies on Mango’

A Workshop on ‘Systems Approach for Management of Fruit Flies on Mango’ was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje at Fortune Select Exotica in Navi Mumbai today.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Karandlaje said the five-day workshop, jointly organized by the Union Agriculture Ministry and the Asia-Pacific Plant Protection Commission will help farmers from the region.
 
Stating that India produces and exports numerous varieties of mangoes, free of fruit flies and pesticides to many countries across the globe, the minister informed that the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage has developed several National Standards and Standard Operating Procedures under which pack houses and treatment facilities have been developed across the country.

She said that the workshop will be an opportunity to exchange experiences and to discuss the sustainable management of fruit flies and reduce the potential risk of chemical pesticides.
 
Emphasizing that Indian agriculture has made phenomenal progress during the last two decades, Ms. Karandlaje said the per capita availability of food items has increased despite the increasing population and an increase in exports. She added that the Farmers Connect portal is an effort to provide a platform for Farmer Producer Organisations/ Companies and Cooperatives to interact with exporters directly.