India Pesticides Market is Growing. But is it Growing Fast Enough?

Despite large scale agricultural reforms, basic farming tools such as pesticides and fertilizers remain underutilised

There is much concern in India over the fact that the agriculture sector in the country doesn’t take into consideration the science behind crop production. Agricultural sector in India continues to remain traditional in nature, either bereft of products such as fertilizers products and India pesticides market products, or too dependent on unscientific opinions when deciding on optimum quantities of the same. Notwithstanding the politics and economics behind the issue, there is no second thought about the fact that India’s agricultural sector remains in deep distress and one of the only ways forward is through adequate use of technology. India’s fertility rates, relative to arable land, are shockingly low. India, for rice production, has a yield rate of 2.4 tonnes per hectare, which lands India in 27th place out of 47 countries. By comparison, China and Brazil have yield rates of 4.7 t/ha and 3.6 t/ha, respectively. Smart usage of India pesticides market products and application of technology will definitely see at least some shift to the positive.

While yields are extremely low, the progress made towards improvement of soil fertility has proved of some help; yield rates in India are improving much faster than most other large, agriculture based economies. Moreover, an increasing number of initiatives are being taken by different NGOs, India pesticides market players etc. to spread awareness among farmers and to educate them regarding cropping patterns, optimum use of water and pesticides, soil aeration techniques, fertilizer use etc. in order to improve their crop yield. The Indian government is also looking at long term overhaul of the current agricultural capacity by implementing soil health cards, crop insurance schemes etc.

While yields are extremely low, the progress made towards improvement of soil fertility has proved of some help; yield rates in India are improving much faster than most other large, agriculture based economies. Moreover, an increasing number of initiatives are being taken by different NGOs, pesticide manufacturing companies etc. to spread awareness among farmers and to educate them regarding cropping patterns, optimum use of water and pesticides, soil aeration techniques, fertilizer use etc. in order to improve their crop yield. The Indian government is also looking at long term overhaul of the current agricultural capacity by implementing soil health cards, crop insurance schemes etc.

However, as per TechSci Research report “India Pesticides Market, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2012-2026”, pesticides remain, apart from fertilizers, one of the essential production enhancement tools in the farmers’ arsenal. While TechSci experts expect the India pesticides market to cross $5 billion by 2026, the rate at which production and consumption of pesticides is growing is relatively modest, standing at just over 7%. Pesticides will reduce the number of Indians dependent on farming, who can then seek employment in other sectors, thus providing a boost to the Indian GDP. Furthermore, it will help produce a sustainable land use strategy. Current policy makers are crippled due to dearth of land to build on, given that over 60% Indian land is currently devoted to agriculture, nearly double the global average of 37%. Given the finite amount of habitable land, slowly increasing population is starting to put pressure on the current non-agricultural land leading to high levels of population density, which bring about their own problems. A reduction in excess arable land can only be brought forth through productivity enhancement procedure, which include smart usage of pesticides and fertilizers, among other basic tools needed by the modern-day farmer to thrive.

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