12th November 2024, Coimbatore
ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, organized a workshop on the management of crown mealy bug and pokkah boeng in sugarcane in association with the Society for Sugarcane Research & Development (SSRD) at the Centenary Seminar Hall in the Institute premises today.
The Chief Guest, Shri M. Silvester Goldwin, President, South Indian Sugar Mills Association, Tamil Nadu (SISMA-TN), and Whole-time Director, Kothari Sugars and Chemicals Ltd., released publications on the management of Pokkah Boeng and Crown Mealybug. Shri Silvester emphasized the challenges faced by the sugar sector in Tamil Nadu since 2018, noting a continuous decline in both the area under sugarcane cultivation and its production. The low capacity utilization of factories has also led to a significant reduction in sugar output in recent years. He highlighted that factories in the Central and Coastal regions of Tamil Nadu have been particularly impacted by the incidence of CMB/PB.
Dr P. Govindaraj, Director, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, spoke about the decline in cane areas in the state and listed out the challenges faced in sugarcane farming. There has been no significant rise in the net income of the sugarcane farmer in the state for over 15 years, and the recent incidences of Crown Mealybug and Pokkah Boeng would lead to farmers losing interest in sugarcane farming, he added.
In recent months, reports of the incidence of Crown Mealy Bug (CMB) and Pokkah Boeng (PB) in sugarcane in certain districts of Tamil Nadu have been on the rise. The workshop was organized for the benefit of sugarcane development personnel belonging to the districts of Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, and Erode.
This was followed by an interactive session, wherein the cane development personnel clarified their doubts about pests and diseases.
(Source: ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore)
Read more: https://www.icar.org.in/workshop-management-crown-mealybug-and-pokkah-boeng-organized
