Pesticides – Vital Inputs for

Sustainable Indian Agriculture

R. G. AGARWAL
Chairman, DHANUKA GROUP
&
Chairman, Crop Care Federation of India
NEW DELHI
PRE-INDEPENDENCE INDIAN AGRICULTURE
• Repeated famines and food shortages.
• 10 million people died during 1942: known as Bengal
famine.
SHIP TO MOUTH ECONOMY
•1960’s ship to mouth economy.

•Indian population had to wait for grainfull ship from US.

•US President Lyndon Johnson’s directive to teach India a

lesson on exports of wheat for Indian population rang the
alarm bell.
 GREEN REVOLUTION : 1960-1970
The pillars of green revolution were:
• High yielding varieties
• New technology and multiple cropping
• Irrigation
• Chemical fertilizers
• Pesticides
RESULT :
•End of dependency on import.
•Increased food production :
• 50 million tons in 1950-51
• 198 million tons in 1996-97
• 212 million tons in 2001-02
 FROM 1996 ONWARDS FOOD PRODUCTION
HAS STAGNATED
350
Future Food grains
300 requirement 300
Food grain Production (Mill. Tons)

250 Food grain production 240

225
199.4 192.26 203.5 209.8 212
200
196.81
150 182.57

100

50 50.8

0
1950- 1996- 1997- 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002- 2005 2010 2025
51 97 98 99 00 01 02 03
 Diminishing Land resources
180 169
160 Source : Agriculture Today : February, 2003
140
120
100
100
80

Expected
60
40
20
0
2004 2020

Arable land in India in 2004: 169 million ha.

Arable land expected in 2020: 100 million ha.

It is estimated that 20% of the area under food grains will

shift to vegetables, pulses and chillies.
 India’s Population is increasing
@ – 1.9% per year

* Adding one Australia every year

* 2000 - 100 crores
* 2020 - 130 crores (Expected)
 PER CAPITA GRAIN CONSUMPTION
IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES (Kg/PERSON)
China
322.2
Africa
310.5
Burma
266.2
Nepal
236.8
India
200
World average
271.7
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

The per capita consumption of food grain, presently quite low in India,
may increase as the income and number of middle class are likely to
increase.
Our yields are less in comparison to World

Crop Yields (q/ha) in different countries (2000)

S. No. COUNTRY PADDY MAIZE WHEAT

1 U.S.A. 70.37 86.03 28.20
2 INDIA 30.08 17.69 27.77
3 CHINA 62.34 46.70 37.29
4 PAKISTAN 30.27 15.11 24.91
5 JAPAN 67.02
 LOSSES CAUSED BY DIFFERENT PESTS
Insects
Weeds
26%
33%

Rodents
Diseases & Others
26% 15%
Crop losses : 90,000 cr.(Source : 37th report of Dept. of Chemicals
and Petrochemicals, Govt. of India, the
standing committee on petroleum and chemicals 2002)
CONSUMPTION (%) OF PESTICIDES IN
DIFFERENT STATES OF INDIA (2001)

Andha Pradesh 24.05

Punjab 16.02
Maharashtra 8.63

Karnataka 8.24 8 states consume

Haryana 7.37 81% of pesticides.
Gujarat 6.83
West Bengal 5.21

Tamil Nadu 5.09

Others 18.56

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Source : Crop Life India 2001, Mumbai
Consumption (%) of Pesticide on different
Crops in India (2001)
35 32 % 6 crops consume
30 81% of Pesticide
25 23%
% share

19%
20
15
9%
10
6% 5% 6%
5
0
n e es s s s s
tt o i c l sl e ll ie o p e r
R ab Pu i r th
Co ge
t
Ch n
c O
e it o
V ta
a n
Pl
Source : Crop Life India 2001, Mumbai
 PESTICIDES CONSUMPTION(Kg/ha)
LOWEST IN THE WORLD
18 17
16
14
12 10.7 10.5
10
Kg/ha

8 6.6
5.8
6 4.5
4
2 0.48
0
Taiwan Japan Holland South France USA India
Korea

India uses only less than 2% pesticides,

whereas produces 16% of the world’s food grain
Indian farmer do not need subsides :
• They need sound agri-extension system.
• Improved quality seeds
• Quality fertilizers
• Quality plant protection chemicals

&
• Public Private partnership in agri-extension
to enhance their economy
because
We all know the drawbacks of present
Public agri-extension system
Crop protection chemicals should be made available to
farmers at affordable prices

* Excise duty – 16%

* Spurious pesticides
* Faster registration of eco-friendly molecules
* State Govt. hurdles
* Proper implementation of Insecticide Act.
Is it not unfortunate for the Indian farmers
that :inspite of pesticides being one of the essential
inputs for higher yields

PSEUDO Scientists
Some NGOs

ARE
MISLEADING General public about the plant
protection chemicals

No harmful effect of pesticides have been reported

Internationally, if used judiciously.
Pesticides – the only alternative for
sustainable agriculture
Dr. Norman Borlaug
emphasized that
“people of the world must decide
that we either use agricultural chemicals
and
use them wisely,
in the right amount
and
the right kind,
to produce the food
or
we all starve.”
THANK
YOU