Agriculture experts of South Asian countries have recommended the setting up of regional information centres to alert farmers in the area on movement of pests and spread of crop dieseas in the wake of climate change. A three-day meeting on Science-based Agricultural Transformation towards Alleviation of Hunger and Poverty which concluded here on Friday also decided to set up a South Asian Forum for farmers and cooperatives to address issues confronting the farming community in Saarc region. The Chairman of the meeting Suresh Prabhu told reporters here that timely information on movement of pests and spread of crop-related diseases across the frontiers would help farmers adopt better agricultural practices. The meeting, he said, recommended that South Asian countries should jointly develop a surveillance and early warning system for trans-border pests. Pests like locusts moving from Pakistan to western part of India had affected crops in both the countries, it was pointed out at the meeting. With climate change, it has become difficult to monitor pests movement without cooperation among SAARC countries, the meeting agreed. Regarding the proposed South Asian Forum for farmers and cooperatives, Prabhu said the executive committee of the Forum, comprising two representatives from each Saarc country, will meet in Pakistan in September to carry forward the initiative. The meeting was attended by representativers from all the eight SAARC member-countries including Bangladesh.