TERI, SPIB to host international conference on 'Biopesticides: Stakeholders Perspective'

New Delhi, Apr 7 (ANI/Business Wire India): The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the Society for Promotion and Innovation of Biopesticides (SPIB) will organise the Fifth International Conference from April 26-30 in New Delhi.

The conference will witness the presence of about 600 delegates from around the globe to deliberate on the advancement and promotion of biopesticides from the "stakeholders' perspectives".

The conference will have insightful sessions on sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, eco-restoration and climate change.

A special exhibition-BioFair 2009 will feature organizations and industrial companies involved in the field of biopesticides and related topics.

Enthused by the opportunity that ICOB will be held in India, Dr Seema Wahab, Advisor, Dept of Biotechnology, Govt. of India and Organizing Secretary, ICOB-V said "This is the first International Conference on Biopesticides bringing India in the forefront in this specific area which is very important and relevant for sustainable agriculture and environmental protection".

The conference will provide a platform for its stakeholders participating from various parts of the world-researchers, scientists from public and private sectors, planners, industrialists and end-users to share their knowledge, experiences and learning related to the development, production and application of biopesticides.

The participants will also elaborate the constraints they face, which will help in finding solutions collectively and in evolving a sustainable perspective plan for value chain network to increase the use of biopesticides.

Elaborating on the relevance of Biotechnology and TERI's role to popularise its use, Dr. Nutan Kaushik, Fellow TERI said, "Food security is a major concern that needs to be tackled and is incorporated in National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) issued by the Government of India. For the past two decades many pests and diseases as major and limiting factors have affected the productivity of several crops. Crop protection plays an integral role in the global production of food which must satisfy increasing consumer demand. Concerns over the environment and human health impacts of chemical pesticides have led to considerable interest in the development of an alternative control method. Keeping this in mind, the conference will be of utmost importance."

This conference is a part of the series of international conferences held previously in Thailand (1996), China (1998), Malaysia (2002), and Thailand (2005), promoted by the University of California, Riverside, USA, and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

It would bring to the fore, the fundamental and applied research on various aspects of biopesticides in pest and disease management in agriculture, forestry, public health, and the urban landscape. (ANI)