UPL Chairman R D Shroff： Pest control professionals have key role in public health

"The pest control industry in the country has a role to play in areas of civic health management and protecting foodgrain from rodents", industrialist and United Phosphorus Limited Chairman R D Shroff said on Saturday.

Pest control professionals must participate in government efforts to control diseases spread by pests and also educate people on the importance of pest control, Shroff said.


Shroff was speaking as the chief guest at IndiaPest 2017, the 50th annual golden jubilee conference of the Indian Pest Control Association in the city. The three-day conference has drawn pest control professionals from across the country. Shroff said India, being a populous country, was vulnerable to diseases spread by pests and controlling the menace can greatly help in maintaining public health. India is the largest producer of foodgrain in the world and yet loses a huge part of it to rodents, Shroff said, adding that the country could use effective pest control to deal with this contradiction.

The conference is scheduled to see discussions on topics such as Fumigation Practices & Way Forward, Ant & Fly Management in Commercial Facilities, Food Safety and Role of Pest Management Professionals in India, Pest Management in Commercial Establishments and others. There is also an exhibition of products and equipment on pest control. IPCA conferred a lifetime achievement to PCI Pest Control Pvt Ltd for their contribution to the industry and IPCA, which was received by the company’s Director Jushua Rao in the absence of Chairman Anil Rao. IPCA also felicitated its past president and first treasurer of the association, Deepak Shah. Raju Parulkar, president of IPCA, welcomed the delegates. Gopi Nair, organising committee member, proposed the vote of thanks.