A strong team of crop protection scientists at the erstwhile Kalyani University followed by Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya since the early sixties and similar centers developed at different agri- and general Universities/Institutes, KVKs etc. felt the need for a simple, holistic, interactive platform where all players involved in agrotechnology, be they growers, dealers, industry, NGOs, scientists, entrepreneurs, market managers, could get together and device ways and means of growing, packing, storing or marketing healthy, wholesome farm produce on a sustainable basis.
Further, even with the information boom that is in vogue, it was felt that enough platform and space for more coordinated interaction among the various nodal groups was still lacking, less said the better when one ponders over it in a national scenario. This in short, is the genesis of the emergence of a new Association in the crop protection horizon that aims at projecting itself as a platform for integration of components to make crop protection more meaningful and holistic, optimizing yield while remaining sustainable and our motto remains 'Together we will protect our crops'.
The Association was registered and started functioning from the beginning of 2006 and has now more than 100 enlisted members across the country.
Approach
The Association took off by trying to reach out to the scientific community and various stakeholders in plant protection initially through
(i)
Its mascot, a Newsletter, enlisting the latest global developments in plant protection sciences, circulated free among all concerned
(ii)
A regional language (Bengali) Bulletin called 'Sasyasuraksha' providing directions for technological solutions of protection problems to the farmers
(iii)
Its flagship, The Journal of Plant Protection Sciences, publishing original research articles and reviews
(iv)
Organization of national symposia/brainstorming sessions/special lectures /workshops/ training sessions etc
(v)
Providing crop protection and diagnostic services through telephone calls and field visits.
