Optimum agrochemicals usage key to raise India's food yield: Rajesh Aggarwal

India is set to witness its biggest ever phase of urbanisation over the next two decades. Increasing literacy and greater migration to cities with people looking for better opportunities is likely to give a major thrust to the process of urbanisation. The new government has rightly put emphasis on creating new cities to accommodate the rural Indians moving out of villages and small towns in search of better opportunities and growth.
 
According to a Mckinsey report, India is on the cusp of a never seen before urban expansion. The report says that in the four decades from 1971 to 2008, India’s urban population rose by nearly 230 million; it will now take only half this time to add the next 250 million.
 
With increasing pressure on existing cities and a renewed thrust on creating new urban centres, it is understandable that rural land will rapidly be gulped by the expanding urban space. The past two decades have already seen this trend as new residential localities, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), industries and expressways now stand on what were once lush green fields growing crops.
This brings us to the next logical question that as the land area under agriculture declines due to urban expansion and other causes, how does a country with a burgeoning population plan to feed its teeming millions over the next few decades?
 
India takes justifiable pride in the fact that it has achieved food security despite a rapidly rising population. Riding the first Green Revolution, we have achieved record breaking foodgrain production figures year after year. In 2011-12, India’s foodgrain production stood at a record 259.29 million tonnes. But, as we stare at a scenario where land under cultivation will decline with a simultaneous increase in population and the number of mouths to feed, we have to ensure that foodgrain production per hectare increases.
 
This increase in production to meet the growing need for foodgrains can be achieved only through greater emphasis on agrochemicals and their judicious use. The increase in output per unit of land can be achieved only when the benefits of agrochemicals and the awareness about their optimum use reach the last farmer. It is pertinent to note here that India’s agrochemicals consumption is one of the lowest in the world - at 0.6 kg per hectare compared to US (4.5 kg/ha) and Japan (11 kg/ha). This highlights the fact that a large number of our farmers are either not using agrochemicals to protect crops and boost yields or are not adequately aware about their optimum usage.
 
A study supported by industry body Assocham brought about a disturbing conclusion recently. It said that Indian farmers lose crop worth Rs 50,000 crore annually due to pest and disease infestation. As per an Indian Journal of Ecology report, major crop losses due to non-usage of pesticides and other crop protection measures were about 17.5% of the yield amounting to Rs 90,000 crore in the financial year 2012. The findings are disturbing as they indicate a massive lack of awareness or misinformation among farmers about crop protection measures, that if adopted can save huge crop losses. It is estimated that the present food grain production can jump from 3 trillion to 4 trillion by adequate use of crop protection products.
 
Agrochemicals comprise a wide range of chemical compounds aimed at supporting agricultural practices. They include pesticides to shield the crop from pests and rodents; insecticides to fight against insect attacks; fungicides to prevent loss of crop due to disease infestation; and herbicides to root out undesirable weeds that become parasites on the main crop and hamper yields.

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While a major loss of crop occurs at the production level, a substantial amount of foodgrain is also lost due to inadequate warehouses and pest and rodent attacks at unprotected storage facilities.
 
Low purchasing power of the farmers, lack of adequate awareness about crop protection measures, restricted accessibility of the technology and products account to some of the reasons for low consumption of agrochemicals in India.
 
Studying this scenario over the past few years and meeting farmers to gauge their practices, we realised that there is a massive lack of awareness, even misinformation about crop protection measures. For millions, crop protection techniques are still non-existent and they continue to follow practices of 1950, managing hand to mouth subsistence. For others, several myths associated with the use of agrochemicals have deterred some farmers from availing their benefits. A close observation will reveal that the health hazards noticed from the use of insecticides and pesticides are not because of their use per se but because of incorrect usage, which again stems from lack of correct guidance and awareness.
 
If we have to plan to keep our food security intact in the next two decades – by increasing yield per hectare and minimising loss – promoting optimum use of insecticides and pesticides is of utmost importance. Also important is reducing the farmer’s dependence on the erratic monsoon, by investing on better irrigation facilities.
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Rajesh Aggarwal is the managing director of Insecticides India Ltd