Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPPQ) is a scheme through which the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare performs monitoring, surveillance, regulatory, and Human Resource Development functions.
Key Points
- The aim behind the monitoring and other functions by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is minimizing loss to quality and yield of agricultural crops from the ravages of diseases, insect pests, weeds, rodents, nematodes, etc. as well as to shield our bio-security from the incursion and spread of alien species.
- Revalidation of over 1200 rice mills, pack houses, processing units, fumigation agencies, treatment facilities, post-entry quarantine facilities, etc. has been done to facilitate Agri export.
- 14 crop-specific and pest-specific Package of Practices have been issued during the lockdown period to the States to promote Integrated Pest Management and judicious use of Pesticides.
- In order to promote Make in India, 6788 Certificates of Registration (CR) have been issued to indigenous manufacturers of pesticides, and 1011 CRs issued for the export of pesticides.
- The Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Destructive Insect and Pests Act, 1914 provide the legal framework for the regulatory function.
- India became the world’s first country to control locusts by using drones after finalizing protocols and Standard Operating Procedures during 2020-21.
- The largest locust control operation in Indian history has been conducted by the Central Government in collaboration with the States.
- Locust attack was controlled in over 5.70 lakh hectare area of ??10 States.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has relaxed the conditions for the Import of Onions into India during 2020 in order to stabilize the price and availability of Onion in the local market.