Village-based production of biocontrol agents can promote sustainable agriculture and generate rural employment. Initiatives by organizations like MSSRF, ICAR-KVKs, and sugar factories have shown that women's SHGs and tribal groups can successfully produce biocontrol agents like Trichogramma and earn an average monthly income of Rs. 5,000. Following training and support with production facilities, marketing linkages, and revolving funds, village units can meet the growing demand for biocontrol agents and increase their adoption among small and marginal farmers for environmentally-friendly pest management.

1. Perspective of village based
biological control units for
marginal and tribal farming
Dr. J. Diraviam
Senior Scientist and Head,
ICAR Krishi Vigyan Kendra
Pulutheri Village, R.T. Malai(PO),Kulithalai(TK),
Karur(DT) - 621 313.Tamil Nadu
Mobile: 9488967675 Email: skvkk@yahoo.co.in;
j_diraviam@rediffmail.com; FB: Icar KVK Karur

2. Introduction
• Marginal and small farm holdings - 85% of the
total farm holdings in India in 2010-11
• Pests and diseases directly or indirectly affect
crops leading to production losses.
• Raising awareness on the Problems
associated with Chemical control
• Biocontrol agents - an important component
of IPM under marginal farming systems
• Access to biocontrol agents at affordable
price is a major limiting factor for adoption of
biological control

3. Status of bio pesticide use in India
• Standardization of production techniques of
Trichoderma, Gliocladium, Paecilomyces,
Pseudomonas, Trichogramma, NPV and
Bacillus to use them against many insect
pests and diseases

4. Biocontrol agents successfully
employed in India
• Growth of lantana weed was controlled by using the bug
Telonemia scrupulosa
• Sugarcane Pyrilla has been successfully controlled in a
number of States by the introduction of its natural enemy
Epiricania melanoleuca and Tetrastictus pyrillae.
• Trichogramma - sugarcane borers used in the states of Tamil
Nadu, Rajasthan, UP, Bihar and Haryana.
• Similarly Trichogramma, Bracon, Chelonus and Chrysopa
spp. are being used for the control of cotton bollworms.
Trichogramma has also been used against rice stem borer
and leaf folder.
• The sugarcane scale insect has been controlled with the help
of predatory coccinellid beetles in UP, West Bengal, Gujarat
and Karnataka.

5. Remarkable Success of Biocontrol
agent in the recent years
Annual estimated economic
benefit to the farmers in
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka accounted for
Rs.1623 crores per year
besides indirect benefit of
reduction in hazardous
effects of pesticide usage for
the management of this
deadly invasive mealybug
using Acerophagus papaya.

6. Emerging success of biopesticides
• Popularity of biopesticides has increased
in recent years, as extensive and
systematic research has greatly enhanced
their effectiveness.
• Techniques for the mass production,
storage, transport and application of
biopesticides have been improved in
recent years

7. Some initiatives taken for Promotion
of Village based Biocontrol units
• Government initiatives:
Ministry of Science and Technology -
Department of Biotechnology,
Ministry of Agriculture – NIPHM
• State Agricultural Universities
• ICAR NBAIR and ICAR Krishi Vigyan
Kendras.

8. Non – Government initiatives
• Biovillage promoted by M.S.Swaminathan
Research Foundation.
• Sugar Industry particularly the promotion
of Trichogramma egg parasitoids. The
concept of Agri Service Provider
developed by Sugar Factories have
proved to be a successful business model
for production of bioagents at village level.

9. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
• Imparted training to women SHG at Kannivadi,
Dindigul District on mass production of
Trichogramma
• After one year of initiation, the concept had spread
into other places and the pioneer group members
started training six groups
• Each group ran Trichogramma production as a
micro enterprise through which they reached the
farmers in and around their area and created
awareness about parasitoids and their pest control
pot

10. Logical Framework for Production of
Biocontrol Agents

11. Training on Bioagents Production at TNAU

12. Village level production of Biocontrol Agents by SHG
members at Kannivadi

13. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
• The trainees became trainers and the
horizontal transfer of knowledge and
technology through well-planned
objectives and execution has promoted
capacity building, leadership quality,
employment generation, reduced pesticide
usage, higher cost benefit ratio and
sustainable agriculture in the villages.

14. Highlights of Women SHG initiative
• The production could be easily executed even by a
single woman, as the processes involved were
simple
• Required labour time was very short, the involved
person even engage themselves in their regular
activities
• Highly economical, an additional income of
Rs.2000/- could be achieved / month during peak
season
• Generated 750 labour days / year at an average
• Environment friendly, simple usage and self-
multiplication at field level and saved 35% on
chemical pesticides

15. ICAR Krishi Vigyan Kendra for Tribals
• ICAR KVK Wayanad, trained tribal group
of 13 girls for generating self employment
to the tribal youth of Nellarchal tribal
colony, Kerala.
• Group was given training for six months’ in
the production of biocontrol agents such
as Trichoderma and Pseudomonas and
were registered as a self help group
(SHG) called 'Sabari'.

16. Mass Production of bioagents by Tribals in Kerala

17. ICAR Krishi Vigyan Kendra for Tribals
• During the training programme extension
classes were organized and social awareness
and leadership training conducted that helped
them gain self confidence.
• The biocontrol agents were mass multiplied and
distributed through a revolving fund mode
employing the trained SHGs under the direct
technical supervision of KVK specialists as well
as by utilizing the facilities at the Kendra office
in Ambalavayal.

18. ICAR Krishi Vigyan Kendra for Tribals
• The Tribal SHG gained 35 per cent of the total
benefit on an MoU basis with the Kendra.
• Average monthly income of Rs. 5,000
• 55 tonnes production of both the bioagents
(Trichoderma and Pseudomonas) from 2005 –
2010
• Income – Rs 38.50 lakhs.
• State Planning Board sanctioned Rs 36.39 lakhs
for modernizing the existing bio control lab under
the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY) for
large scale production of the two bio control
agents.

19. National Institute of Plant Health Management
• To popularize simple and low cost mass rearing
techniques of biocontrol agents
• Special capacity building programme “On-farm
production of Biocontrol agents to promote
AESA based PHM in conjunction with
Ecological Engineering for pest management”
to Master Trainers.
• The trained officers to disseminate the
techniques among farmers for production of
Biocontrol agents.

20. NIPHM initiative – On farm production Biocontrol agents

21. National Institute of Plant Health Management
• Trichogramma, Goniozus spp., Bracon spp.,
Reduviid bugs, Spiders and Coccinellids,
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs)
• Microbial biopesticides such as Trichoderma
spp., Pseudomonas, Verticilium, Metarrhizium,
Beauveria, Nomuraea, etc.
• To popularize on-farm production techniques of
biological control agents among farmers,
NIPHM is also associating with State
Governments by building capacity of the
extension Officers and providing technical
guidance to implement at village level.

22. Farm based Low cost mass production
technique for Trichoderma - NIPHM

23. Tamil Nadu State Government
• Funded by State Balanced Growth Fund
scheme of the State Planning Commission
• Production of Biocontrol agents Trichoderma
viride, Trichogramma chilonis, Reduviid bugs,
and fruitfly traps by farmers
• Training of selected farmers from 10 villages of
Pudukottai district at NIPHM, Hyderabad,
Ministry of Agriculture.
• Farmers interest groups (FIG) have been
formed in all the villages for taking up
production of Biocontrol agents.

24. Tamil Nadu State Government
• Pilot project in Thirumayam block of
Pudukkottai Dsitrict, the TANWABE group
given training on production of bio agents.
• Five lakh rupees was sanctioned for the group
as a floating advance by the State Government.
• Group started a bio control unit for production
of Trichogramma and Pseudomonas.

25. ICAR National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources
(NBAIR)
• NBAIR issued licences to private entrepreneurs in
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for mass production of
Tricho-cards.
• After their successful field trials, these cards were
used by farmers in 12 States including Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab.
• NBAII Scientists have set up an on-farm/village-
level Trichogramma production model in Madla
village, Mandya district, for large-scale use of
Tricho-cards. Under this model, Scientists have
trained a differently-abled girl, Shambhavi of
Madla, to multiply Trichogramma

26. Initiatives by Sugar Factories
• Before village level production, sugar mills
could cover about 5-10% of the area
withTrichogramma cards at high cost.
• EID Parry in Tamilnadu came out with simplified
Trichogramma production and training the local
interested farmers to produce and supply
• 22 farmers including 5 women self-help groups
in factories of EID Parry in Tamilnadu spreading
across 15 districts were identified and trained to
produce Trichogramma.

27. Initiatives by Sugar Factories
• The Sugar mills procured Trichogramma cards
and distributed among the farmers.
• The cost of Tricho cards paid to the producer –
farmer turned entrepreneurs by the Sugar mill.
Brought out huge economic returns to the
empowered entrepreneur farmers.
• Quality adequately supervised by the
Entomologist from the Sugar mill.
• In 2-3 years period, 5 factories managed to
cover more than 75% of the sugarcane crop in
their command area with Trichogramma.

28. Sugar Factory Initiatives-Success Stories
• The yearly total turn over for the empowered
farmers touched Rs.80 lakhs (>3-4 lakh CC of
Trichogramma cards produced per year
• This has helped them to come out free from the
clutches of indebtedness.
• Many of them went on to build their houses,
married off their daughters, could give better
education to their children and 4 of them bought
their first car in their villages.

29. Sugar Factory trained Shri K.E.Chinnasamy in
Karur Dt. explains about Trichogramma cards

30. Important factors for promotion of
Biocontrol agents
• Demonstration of cost effectiveness of
Biocontrol agents among farmers
• Assurance of the products with high level of
potency, purity and guaranteed on the product
labels.
• Biocontrol agents are living entities, special
care may be taken for handling, transportation
and storage, which is not necessary for
chemical pesticides.
• Short shelf life

31. Location of Biopesticide Units
• In areas which have appropriate climatic
conditions.
• Temperature control is less costly in locations
where there is no extreme conditions.
• Proximity of the location to the market is also
important.
• Production facilities are set up at away from
farming areas, so as to prevent the
contamination of insecticides.
• Located away from industrial and urban areas
to avoid air pollution.

32. Regulatory framework – Issued by IPM
Division, Directorate of Plant Protection,
Quarantine & Storage, Faridabad
• Guidelines for Physical Verification and
Technical Audit of Biocontrol Laboratories
established by NGOs, Private Entrepreneurs,
Self Help Groups, Women Organisations,
Farmers Club under Grants-in-aid by
Government of India – (2010)
• To provide guidance to the beneficiaries,
effective work monitoring and auditing of
facilities possessed by the laboratories

33. Grant Support for promotion of
Biocontrol agents by Govt. of India
• Since 2005-06, Government of India,
Ministry of Agriculture, has decided to
provide the Grants-in-aid in the form of
subsidy @ Rs. 5 lakh/lab/NGOs, Private
Entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups, Women
Organisations, Farmers Club subject to
the conditions mentioned in the guidelines
so that increasing demand of bioagents by
the farmers could be supplemented

34. Scope for Commercial Production of
Biopesticides
• Present biopesticide production units capacity
existing in the country can meet only less than 1%
of cropped area.
• Some of the local small scale industries have
already started production and marketing of
Trichoderma viride (against few fungal diseases)
and Trichogramma (against sugarcane early shoot
borer).
• There is scope to enhance production and use of
biological control agents in the days to come as
the demand is on the increase every year.

35. Institutional Mechanism for promotion of
village level production of biocontrol agents
Technology Support by
SAUs/ICAR Institutes/KVKs/
Resource NGOs
Marketing support
through Grass root NGOs,
Farmers Producer
Organizations/People’s
Representatives
Funding support through Govt.
grants/ Revolving fund
assistance by banks
Dissemination support by
Development Departments/Mass
media
Village level
Biocontrol
production Units

36. Opportunities for Capacity building
in Biocontrol agents production
Vocational training programmes of
KVKs
Rural Self Employment Training
Institutes programmes
NABARD – Micro Entreprenuership
Development Programmes

37. Summary
• There is a huge scope for setting up of
Biocontrol agents production units at village
level as the demand for such agents are
increasing.
• Enable promoting environmentally friendly pest
management approaches, as consumers are
becoming more aware on pesticide hazards.
• As the Biocontrol agents have short shelf life,
village level production would definitely help in
increased adoption among farmers.

38. Summary
• Quality control standards are very
important for producing quality Biocontrol
agents that would enable good control of
pests.
• Village level production would help in
employment generation for women and
tribals in their villages and empower them
economically.

39. Thank you