Kottayam: The Rubber Board is hosting the 5th Technical Committee on Plant Protection in Kottayam from 24 to 26 September 2024 at the Rubber Research Institute of India. M Vasanthagesan IRS, Executive Director of the Rubber Board will inaugurate the meeting.
The meeting is jointly convened by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) and the International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB). The conference brings together renowned scientists in Plant Pathology from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam, apart from India.
The Technical Committee on Plant Protection was formed by ANRPC in 2019 in response to the drastic reduction in yield in natural rubber in South Asian countries due to Colletotrichum leaf spot disease in rubber in 2018. The meeting will discuss climate change, leaf diseases and their derivatives, clone resilience, plant protection strategies, innovative disease management techniques, drone spraying and crown budding techniques. Participants will also visit the Rubber Board Central Experiment Station at Chethackal on 26 September to interact with small growers and technical experts in the rubber sector.
Rubber Board Launches Mobile App for Extension Officers
The Executive Director of the Rubber Board has launched a Mobile App designed specifically for extension officers of the Board. The App was developed in association with Kerala Digital University.
This Mobile App will be useful for the extension services and implementation of schemes of the Board along with the registration of farmers, tappers, Rubber Producers’ Societies, SHG and organizing training programmes for farmers; conducting various surveys; assessment on rain guarding and disease management etc. This initiative was included in the 100-day programme of the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India.