Overview of Indian Agrochemical Industry

India is one of the important developing countries in Asia Pacific. Indian Economy is primarily depends on Agriculture and about 75% population depends on agriculture.

Modern agriculture depends on the four main factors viz: water, fertilizers, seed and pesticides. Pesticides are the integral part of modern agriculture. About 35-45 % crop production is lost due to insects, weeds and diseases, while 35% crop produces are lost during storage. Indian Agrochemical Industry size in estimated to be US$ 3.8 billion in year 2012. Over the 12th plan period, the segment is expected to grow at 12-13% per annum to reach 7.0 billion. The Indian domestic demand is growing at the rate of 8-9% and export demand at 15-16%.

The figure below shows the pesticide use pattern in India.


Cotton and paddy are the major crops where pesticides consumption is 50% and 18%, respectively. Fruits and vegetables account for the significant share of agrochemicals. Cotton covers only 5% of the cropped area but accounts for 50% of pesticides. Rice is grown over 24% of the cropped area consume 18% of the pesticides. The fruits, vegetables account for 18% cropped areas, while cereals, millets and oilseeds cover 58% areas. Sugarcane uses 2% of the pesticides and other crops grown over 6% of the cropped area account for 1% only.

The per capita consumption of pesticides in India is 0.6 Kg/ha which is the lowest in the world. The per capita pesticide consumption in China and USA is 13 Kg/ha and 7 Kg/ha, respectively. The main reason for low per capita consumption of pesticides in India is low purchasing power of farmers and small land holdings. The majority of agricultural farm land belongs to Marginal farmers but maximum contribution to the produce is also from marginal farmers. The large scale farming is increasing and therefore, there is good scope for increase of per capita consumption of pesticides in India.


India has the production capacity of 146,000 Mt against the production of 82,000 MT in 2012. India consumes pesticides worth US$ 1.9 billion while exports worth US$1.9 billion. India has strong presence of multinational companies, capable of launching innovative products. The major multinationals in India are Bayer, DuPont, Syngenta, Dow, Rohm & Hass, BASF, Mansanto and Cheminova. Top ten companies control almost 80% of the market share. The market share of large players depends primarily on the product portfolio and introduction of new molecules. The strategic alliances amongst competitors are common to reduce risk and serve a wider customer base.

Dr. Shiv Yagya Pandey is Director of Jai Research Foundation’s Global Business and Global Chemical Research. He is a Doctorate in Pesticide Chemistry from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (I.A.R.I), New Delhi in 1974. He has working experience of more than 40 years in the field of Regulatory Research for the Registration of Agrochemicals. He has worked for several public & private organizations such as US-EPA, WHO, UNIDO, UNDP and Union Carbide etc. He is also a member of several bodies like BIS, CIB/RC, WHO, CIPAC, AOAC, AAPCO, FAO etc.