Introduction
The Indian Pest Control Association, IPCA, is a non-profit trade association of professional pest management companies from India. Founded in 1967, it is the premier association of the pest management industry in India, with close to 250 members throughout the country today.
IPCA is registered under The Societies Registration Act, 1960 (Act XXI of 1860) and is recognized by various Government bodies. Over the years it has been the voice of the professional pest management industry in the country and is closely associated with various Government Departments and Municipal Corporations in policy-making, preparation of standards, helping in introduction of effective and environmentally safe pesticides, licensing methods, etc.
IPCA with the assistance of its members has reached out to NGOs, Municipal Authorities and the public at large, to conduct co-coordinated campaigns in various cities for public health pests such as mosquitoes & rats. These measures have been taken up during outbreaks of various vector-borne diseases on a voluntary basis.
International Connections
IPCA is a Founder Member of FAOPMA (Federation of Asian & Oceania Pest Managers Associations) and IPCA members have represented the association on the Executive Committee of FAOPMA, with two of our senior members also having served as President of this Federation.
IPCA has conducted the International FAOPMA Convention in India thrice (1994, 2004 and 2011). IPCA also represents the country worldwide and maintains contact and communication with international pest control associations such as NPMA, BPCA, CEPA, etc. with IPCA members regularly visiting these and other conventions as and when they are held.
Main Activities
IPCA organizes an Annual Convention which provides an ideal platform for all professional pest control organizations, products & equipment manufacturers, concerned Govt. Departments & industry professionals and experts, to meet and interact on various developments in the urban pest management service industry. These conventions have seen growing international participation with experts and companies from UK, USA, Australia, China and South East Asia sharing their technical knowledge and also exhibiting their latest product and equipment ranges.
IPCA conducts regular training programmes on latest technologies, new and safer methods of pest control, customer relations, safety in handling pesticides and quality assurance for the benefit of its members. The association has conducted Technical Training Programme for technicians, supervisors & sales officers in various cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Bhopal since 2005 and more than 700 technicians of various member organizations have benefited.
IPCA commenced a comprehensive in-house training programme throughout the country in 2010. This was intended to bring about a change in the functioning of IPCA member organizations on the ground level and also help in providing better service delivery for end users. IPCA recognized the fact that in India, apart from fumigation, there was no dedicated training institute and little or no syllabus devoted to the practical needs of modern urban pest management. IPCA, in an effort to bridge this gap, not only commenced in-house Structured Training Courses (STC) for the benefit of its members, but has also collaborated actively with the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad, in formulating and conducting the 15-day Certificate Course in Urban Integrated Pest Management (UIPM). The syllabus for all courses shall be regularly upgraded in keeping with the required standards. IPCA has also initiated a programme to create a comprehensive Service Technicians Manual for its members.
Norms for Membership
IPCA is not just an association of professional pest management companies, but also the only Association in India that makes technical and professional expertise a mandatory requirement for grant of membership.
To become a member, one should have :
(i) A Degree in Science from a recognized college or university and training in Entomology or other Sciences principally related to the practices of pest control, from a Govt. recognized institution such as NIPHM Hyderabad / CFTRI Mysore / IGMRI Hapur;
(ii) One year’s practical experience as a proprietor, partner/director of a firm or company or having in its employment, a person with a Degree in Science from a recognised college or university and training in Entomology or other sciences principally related to the practices of Pest Control, from a Government-recognised Institution as referred above;=
(iii) One year’s practical experience with the same firm or company and always having such a person with them to retain active membership;
(iv) A Valid Licence to Stock and Use Restricted Insecticides for commercial pest control operations {Form VI-C, Rule 10 (3A)}, if required
Renewal of membership is yearly and subject to fulfillment of above norms. Those who do not adhere to the above norms and to IPCA’s Code of Ethics, stand to lose their
A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT
I am honoured to lead our 50+ year young prestigious organisation and take this mission further. We have come a long way with some great achievements in the past 50 years, but there is need for lot of improvement. I sincerely hope to achieve as much as possible within my tenure with support from my team members and all of you.
As mentioned last year, we are committed to empower Technicians and Pest Control Managers with better training and certifications. We have made good progress with representations to various Govt. Departments and Institutions. We are working towards maximum digitization within IPCA.
IPCA can achieve greater heights with ‘RIGHT STRATEGIES’, ‘RIGHT RESOURCES’ and ‘SUPPORT‘ from all of ‘YOU‘.
Jaldhi R. Trivedi
President, IPCA
WHY ONLY IPCA
