India's agrochemical sector under severe stress on lower usage

India's Rs 21,000 crore agrochemical industry is under severe stress for future growth due to intensified effort of the government to use tolerance protection hybrid seeds to minimize use of agro chemicals in the field.

Currently, India's consumption of agrochemical is one of the lowest in the world, standing at 0.6kg per hectare. This compares very poorly with other countries that have less arable land undercoverage. For instance, countries like Taiwan, Japan and Korea have higher consumption than India. This again highlights the under usage of agrochemicals by Indian farmers and unexploited opportunity at bay for the agrochemical companies in India.

"Plants suck only 35% of agrochemicals used for crop protection in the field. The remaining, 65% however, goes into the environment and river to pollute air and water respectively. It is therefore important to reduce applicability of agrochemicals in the field for crop protection.

Introduction of tolerance protection seeds may lower usage of agrochemicals going forward," said Swapan K Datta, Deputy Director General of the IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research, on the sidelines of a roundable on "Addressing Challenges of Food Security", a seminar organized here by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

In fact, introduction of heat and drought tolerant hybrid seeds will reduce chemical sprays on the standing crop which will also minimize risk of pesticides residues in the commodity output and will also reduce cost of agricultural production.

Most notably, India's Genetically Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has granted approval for 11 new varieties of genetically modified (GM) seeds for field trails.

"This is the first step towards increasing focus on hybrid seeds and lower use of agrochemicals. We need to go many miles away in that direction,"Datta said.

Multinational companies including Monsanto, Syngenta, Rallis, BayerCropScience and Advanta have introduced improved varieties of hybrid seeds with heat, insects, weeds and flood tolerance. This has resulted into lower usage of agrochemicals like pesticides, weedicides and herbicides.

This has resulted into a threat for the growth of agrochemical industry in India despite record high output of agricultural products.

India's $3.8 billion (~Rs 21,000 crore) agrochemical industry has witnessed lower growth in the last few years with estimates of 4-5% in 2012 and 2013 as compared to 6.5% of global average.

Davor Pisk, chief operating officer of global agrochemical and hybrid seed major Syngenta said, "Our focus in future is going to be seed. At the sametime, we will continue our research and development (R&D) in agrochemical as well considering the entire business a basket." Syngenta increased investment on R&D from $1 billion to $1.4billion per annum of with increased focus on Asian countries.

Syngenta is set to introduce improved varieties of cottonseeds, soybean, vegetable and rice ina couple of months. Currently, only Bt cotton is allowed for commercialization in India which is insect resistant. A lot of heat and flood tolerant crops is awaiting government approval for commercialization.