NEW DELHI, 20 July 2016 : Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, Chairman, Standing Committee of Parliament on Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has called for concerted efforts to forge a R&D-led strategy to save the loss of crops due to pests, weeds and diseases.

An estimated 15-25 per cent of potential crop production is lost due this menace, Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, Chairman, Standing Committee of Parliament on Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said while ddressing the sixth National Agrochemicals Conference – 2016 on the theme ‘Next Generation Indian Agriculture – Role of Crop Protection Solutions’.

This comes at a time when India needs not only to raise production but also ensure food security and nutrition for its growing consumption needs, Yadav stressed.

Adding further, Yadav said that we need to opt for concerted efforts to forge a R&D-led strategy to save the loss of crops due to pests, weeds and diseases.

The event was organised jointly by FICCI and the Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare and Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Government of India

Yadav said that the need of the hour was to adopt a holistic approach to be implemented in a very systematic manner  to farming  sector in India.

The strategy would have to be implemented with full involvement of farmers who are the main stake holders, he added.

He invited the farming community to imbibe latest knowledge and technologies and thus empower themselves. He also suggested for more focus to R&D for ensuring sustainable development.

Expressing concern at the rising menace of spurious pesticides incl. biologicals laced with chemicals, Narayan suggested that the situation should be tackled  collectively by farmer associations, industry players, government and pesticide regulatory bodies in a time bound manner.

On the occasion, a Knowledge Paper on the theme of the conference, prepared by FICCI in association with the Tata Strategic Management Group was also released.

Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG) is the Knowledge & Strategy Partner for the conference  while Panjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana; Institute of Pesticide Formulations & Technology, Gurgaon  and Delhi University are the Academic Partners.

A UN study on global population trends predicts that India will surpass China to become the most populous nation in the world by 2022. With a present size of 1.32 billion, India currently supports nearly 17.84 per cent of the world population, with 2.4 per cent land resources and 4 per cent of water resources.

It is also noted that about 15-25 per cent potential crop production is lost due to pests, weeds and diseases. Keeping pace with these growing numbers, the country will not only have to raise its agricultural production but also the productivity to ensure food and nutrition security of the nation.

Crop protection and crop enhancement solutions, based on best global practices and the latest technologies available are the answer. There are good emerging trends and solutions for sustainable crop protection which include crop protection chemicals, agronomy, fertigation, seed treatment, bio-technology development etc.

The next generation agriculture in the country will have to encompass all such possible solutions using the best mode in a given scenario.

The sector has huge unrealized potential for growth, given the presently very low levels of application of crop protection chemicals, as compared to the global norms coupled with fast increasing awareness in young, educated farming class.

The sector faces many challenges and solution to same can lead to India becoming a global manufacturing hub of quality crop protection chemicals.

Various speakers  advocated for  application of best solutions, be that linked to agronomy, Plasticulture, fertigation, seed treatment, crop protection chemicals, bio-technology, precision farming etc. The conference   covered  topics of relevance to the sector, including facilitating ease of doing business.