'Crops worth Rs 50,000cr are lost a year due to pest, disease'

Crops worth Rs 50,000 crore are lost owing to pest and disease attack every year as pesticide consumption is low in India, according to a study.
"This huge crop loss could be attributed to low pesticide consumption in India," said the joint study by industry body Assocham and Yes Bank.
Pesticide usage in India is less than two per cent of global consumption and is confined to one-fourth of the total arable land of about 180 million hectares, it said.
Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are major pesticides consuming states. States like Kerala, Orissa and Bihar are least pesticide consuming states mainly due to low purchasing power of farmers having fragmented land holdings, it added.

Noting that lower pesticide consumption per hectare offers a huge untapped potential for the pesticides industry, the study said low levels of research and development as well as poor brand awareness are hurting growth prospects.
Lack of skills and necessary funds are affecting the research work, while lack of brand consciousness and price factor discouraging farmers buy these products, it added.

Releasing the findings of the study, Assocham President Rana Kapoor said, "Future growth in the pesticides industry will come from herbicides and fungicides due to higher cultivation of BT cotton, fruits and vegetables."
However, the sector requires support of government and regulatory bodies as the domestic industry is largely fragmented with top five players accounting for only 57 per cent of the total market share and no single player has over 20 per cent share, he said.

"Considering there would be a substantial increase in production of genetically modified (GM) crops, the companies will therefore have to target newer non-GM crops to increase pesticides usage," Kapoor said.
The pesticides industry in India is estimated at about Rs 17,000 crore and is growing at a compounded annual growth rate of about 15 per cent.