• CropLife India & YES BANK Knowledge Report estimates indicate that INR 2 lakh crores worth of crop yield is lost annually due to pests in the country
• Two State Agriculture Ministers, Government, Academia & Agro-chemical Industry deliberate on the India – An Emerging Global Food Hub: Role of Sustainable Crop Protection Solutions during the National Conference organized on the occasion of 43rd AGM of CropLife India.
CropLife India; the association of leading domestic and Multinational R&D driven crop science companies; organized a National Conference on the occasion of its 43rd AGM. The conference witnessed the congregation of two Agriculture Ministers from the key States of Andhra Pradesh and Haryana; senior Government officials, experts, academia and industry leaders. YES BANK was the Knowledge Partner for the event.
Highlights
In India, estimates suggest that about INR 2 lakh crores worth of crop yield is lost annually due to pests.
• Indian agriculture is Feeding a massive 1.43 billion population
• Contrary to the myths, the crop protection usage in India is just at 0.37 kg / hectare compared to a staggering 11.24 kg/hectare in Japan.
• The crop protection industry in India is undergoing a Transformation from a product-centric to a sustainable solution-centric approach, wherein “beyond-crop protection” offerings are being provided to farmers.
• Agtechs (including drone-techs) are changing the way agri-inputs are delivered to farmers, the way agri-inputs are applied in the farm as well as the way farmers are linked to markets. Usage of drones is a big game changer not only for the way that crop protection solutions are applied on field, but also for providing additional income generating activities in rural areas by promoting entrepreneurship.
• The State Governments have a big role to play in enabling Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Doing Agriculture.
• CropLife India believes that the State Governments will play an imminent role in paving a “Public-Private Pathway” for capacity building and awareness creation
• India now stands as the 2nd largest exporter of agrochemicals globally, after China, making it a key participant in the global crop protection industry.
Deliberations during the National Conference focused on the theme “India – An Emerging Global Food Hub: Role of Sustainable Crop Protection Solutions”. The focus of the Inaugural Session was “The Rise of Indian Agriculture – World’s Emerging Food Basket & the Role of States”. Plenary Session I focussed on “Women driving the growth of Indian Agriculture” and the Plenary Session II dwelled on “Innovations for the New-Age Farmers.” The Valedictory Session deliberated on “Role of Agrochemicals in the growth of Indian Agriculture.”
During his inaugural address Shri Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture Government of Andhra Pradesh shared that, “The State Government is committed towards Farmers’ education for enhanced use of new technology in agriculture; which has led to multiple novel initiatives viz. ‘E-KYC Know Your Crop’ aiming to provide farmers with essential digital resources. The State is considering to implement State Minimum Support Price Act to further bolster inclusive agricultural practices.”
CropLife India is committed to advancing sustainable agriculture and it is an association of 16 R&D driven member companies in crop protection. We jointly represent ~ 70% of the market and are responsible for 95% of the molecules introduced in the country. Our member companies have annual global R & D spend of 6 billion USD and are firmly committed to engaging with the farming community to enable Safe, Secure Food Supply.
Our member companies were established in India as far back as the 1950s; we continue to work hand-in-hand with the Government to build the agriculture sector – from direct investment of building factories, jobs creation, bringing in agriculture innovation and working endlessly over the years with multi-stakeholders to enhance agriculture productivity.