Today the workshop on development of integrated pest management program was held by FAO in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia.

The workshop is aimed at improvement of the workflow to control newly spread pests, especially tomato and potato moth.

The event was opened by Mr Garnik Petrosyan, RA Deputy Minister of Agriculture, who emphasized the importance of the event. Ms Gayane Nasoyan, Assistant FAO Representative in Armenia also greeted the participants, emphasizing the importance of development of the IPM system in Armenia.

Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, State Service for Food Safety, Armenian National Agrarian University, Agricultural Support Centers, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, farmers participated in the event and made presentations on monitoring and control of newly spread and regular pests.

The workshop was organized in the framework of the FAO Project “Support for Development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) System to Control potato moth in Armenia”. The main objective of the Project is to reduce crop losses in the field through development of the effective system of pest control. A set of leaflets on pest and disease control entitled “Integrated Pest Management of the most spread pests and diseases in Armenia” will be published in the framework of the project, and will be available for farmers and extension service providers.

The workshop will be followed by the training on identification, monitoring, early prevention and control of tomato and potato moth, which will be held in May 2014.