Membership
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.
Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) is a broad-based approach that integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. IPM aims to suppress pest populations below the economic injury level (EIL). The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization defines IPM as “the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms.”[1] Entomologists and ecologists have urged the adoption of IPM pest control since the 1970s.[2] IPM allows for safer pest control.
PEST CONTROL ASSOCIATION OF INDIA has its registered office at Chennai for the past few years. The history of PCAI can be traced back to Dr Behl in Delhi and the National Pest Control Association of India (NPCAI), which started its activities in September 1976. One of the regular activities of NPCAI was to publish newsletters, which were sent to members regularly every quarter till mid-1982. In September 1989, the Government of India informed that the word “National” attracts Government concern and hence it was dropped. The new name was sent for registration as PEST CONTROL ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (PCAI), and it was then so registered. During this period 2 books on pest control were written and published viz. Integrated Urban Pest Management (Behl and Tangri) and Pest Management Practices (Y. Harsh Behl). Thereafter, the Registered Office of PCAI has been shifted twice. First from New Delhi to Kolkata and later to Chennai, when the PCAI was re-incorporated.
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA), a non-profit organization with nearly 5,000 members from around the world, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industry’s commitment to the protection of public health, food and property. This commitment is reflected both in the continuing education of pest management professionals and the dissemination of timely information to homeowners and businesses.