Press Release

Press Release from Central Integrated Pest Management Centre

Information & Public Relations Department

Date: 16-Jul-2025
Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPMC) started Farmers Field Schools on rice for progressive farmers at Phensong and Nazitam.
To promote non-chemical pest management of rice insect pests, diseases and conservation of natural enemies in the field, implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques are of utter importance and only pathway towards sustainable organic farming. More than thirty-five progressive farmers and state dept. officials participated at each inaugural day programme of Farmers Field Schools (FFS) organized by Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPMC) under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India at Phensong under Kabi block on 14th July, 2025 and at Patium village near Nazitam under Martam block on 16th July, 2025.
These fourteen weeks long field level crop specific programme are focused on hand-on trainings and awareness development among marginal farmers on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for field crops in Sikkim. FFS provides opportunities for learning by doing where farmers and facilitators debate on observations, shows experiences and present new information to come to conclusions.
Programmes are conducted by CIPMC, Gangtok aiming empowerment of farmers with knowledge and skills, making farmers experts in their own fields, sharpening the farmers’ ability to make critical and informed decisions, sensitizing farmers in new ways of thinking and problem solving and helping farmers learning how to organize themselves and their communities to become sound socially and economically.
Dr. A. Chakraborty, Deputy Director (E), Head of Office, CIPMC, Gangtok discussed precise objectives of IPM and preventive options for low cost pest management of field crops. He also emphasized important of incorporation of newer pest management techniques to increase crop production and farmer’s income by effectively lowering damages caused by insect pests and diseases. Mr. R. Lepcha, APPO (PP) discussed prevalent crop pests and recommended IPM practices for better crop production. Participants from both villages and state dept. officials were engaged in fruitful discussions and expected to be benefitted and be able to grow healthy crops with greater produce after completion of this programmes.