Probe ordered into ‘virus’ in imported plants

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 12

The Department of Horticulture today ordered pathological test for two varieties of imported plant material from Italy to ascertain suspected “visual presence of virus in 15 plants”, which are kept under quarantine in its nursery at Duttnagar.

Farmers expressed concern over the “diseased plants” demanding complete surveillance on each imported plants by private and government agencies so that they should not face the outbreak of any viral or bacterial diseases in apple orchards.

“The government must quarantine each and every plant imported from Italy, US or elsewhere,” said Ashutosh Chauhan, vice-president, Progressive Growers Association.

“If diseases like phyotoplasma and fire blight come, it will be fatal for the apple industry,” he cautioned expressing concern over the “reported visual presence of virus” in some plants kept in the Horticultural Department.

Apart from buying the plants from the government, many private players too are importing plants from abroad and selling them to farmers at an exorbitant price, Chauhan claimed.

“There should be strict post-entry quarantine laws on the import of plants and they should be quarantined first and distributed to farmers after a thorough investigation,” he added.

“Farmers should get certified virus-free imported plant material. Those found guilty must be punished and companies or nurseries doing this should be blacklisted,” farmers demanded.

“Rival private companies from Italy with their dealers and agents who are active in Himachal are out lobbying for the supply of the plant material in the state under the Rs 1,143-crore horticultural modernisation project,” the farmers added.

On the other hand, Principal Secretary, Horticulture, JC Sharma, assured the farmers that the department would distribute “certified virus-free plant material under the project. “It is yet to be verified under the new scientific test. Thus we have ordered an investigation from the third party as we have got certificates issued by the Italian company from the Indian quarantine authority at the Mumbai airport and post-entry certificate from Nauni university,” he added.

Dr HC Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, said it was premature to say that some of the plants were infected with virus unless proper pathological tests were conducted on the suspected plants. “The plants are imported by the Horticulture Department last year and if it demands, we will conduct the test and submit our recommendation whether to destroy the plants or not,” he added.