South Gujarat pesticides sector likely to grow by 15%

The South Gujarat based pesticides manufacturing industry, which has a turnover of Rs 3,000 crore, is expected to grow by 15 per cent in the next financial year.

Some of the Ankleshwar and Bharuch based companies engaged in pesticide manufacturing believe that the usage of pesticides would growmultifold in a couple of months as the area under irrigation has increased in Gujarat substantially.

The usage of pesticides across the country is of around Rs 3,500 crore, informed Raju Shroff, former president of Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) "" an association of pesticides manufacturers.

"However in total, Gujarat consumes pesticides worth Rs 300 crore only," said Shroff who is also managing director of United Phosphorous.

Pesticide consumption will increase by 40 per cent in the state as the irrigation problem is gradually being solved.

"Earlier, there was a huge problem of water and because of that crop production was very less in the state. But after the Narmada dam project, the water has started reaching to various part of the state," said Shroff.

"With the problem of water being solved, consumption of pesticides will also increase to ensure enhanced output with huge quantity of yeild," said Shroff. He added that now India would be able to achieve international standard of yield.

Natu Patel, MD of Meghmani Organics Ltd said after the increase in supply of water for irrigation, the agriculture output in Gujarat would also jump further and with that problems like weeds.

"Pesticides is must to kill the weeds which consumes the nutrition of crops," said Patel. Compared to other agro based countries, Indian farmers do not have much money to invest more in pesticides. "But since last five years the prices of pesticides are continously falling. The prices have gone 50 per cent down," claimed Patel.

According to Patel, by the next fiscal the prices of pesticides are expected to reduce by 10 per cent more.

He further said that not only MNCs but even small pesticides manufacturing companies will have to reduce the prices as the competition has started increasing rapidly.