Nongpoh, December 07: The College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), Central Agricultural University (CAU), Umiam, Meghalaya, organized a day-long Farmers-Scientist Interaction and IPM Input Distribution Programme at Sumer Umbang village under Umsning Block, Ri-Bhoi district.

A total of 63 progressive farmers from the village participated in the event, which aimed at strengthening farmers’ understanding of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) for sustainable agriculture in the North Eastern Hill (NEH) region.

The interactive programme brought together a team of experts from the Department of Crop Protection, including Dr. Mahesh Pathak and Dr. Abhishek Gowda, along with Dr. Lala I.P. Ray from the School of Natural Resource Management. The scientists engaged the farmers in detailed discussions on effective pest and disease management, soil health, crop nutrition, and safe storage practices.

As part of the initiative, IPM inputs were distributed to the participating farmers. These included vegetable seeds (Capsicum, Chilli, Brinjal, and Cucumber), knapsack sprayers, biopesticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis (CAU-Bt) and UmTricho, as well as biofertilizer (CAU Bio-Enhancer). Farmers also highlighted the major pest and disease challenges they face in the field and during post-harvest storage, receiving practical recommendations from scientists.

The programme was sponsored by the National Research Institute for Integrated Pest Management (NRIIPM), New Delhi, under the project titled “Establishment of Crop-Based Model IPM Villages for Promotion of Integrated Pest Management Technologies in NEH Region of India.” The initiative aims to create model villages that adopt ecologically sound, cost-effective crop protection and soil fertility management practices.