View this page: "Crop Losses -Food security"

[Dr.kavuri Murthy]

Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Thursday, May 01, 2008
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Crop loss due to pest attack pegged at Rs 1.40 lakh cr
Only 25% of area provided protection, says policy group
________________________________________
The level of pesticide use in India is 480 gm/hectare, much lower than
in Taiwan, Japan, US or Europe. Correspondingly, crop yields in India
are the lowest.
________________________________________
S. Shanker
Mumbai, April 30 The Agrochemicals Policy Group, an apex body of 200
crop protection companies, has said agricultural produce loss in 2007
due to pests was estimated at Rs 1.40 lakh crore and that prudent
pesticide use could cut losses, besides enhancing productivity.
UN’s concern
Last week, the World Bank said food prices had doubled over the last
three years and it could push 100 million people in the low-income
countries further into poverty. The World Bank President, Mr Robert
Zoellick, appealed to Governments to provide the UN World Food
Programme $500 million as emergency assistance.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki -Moon, too, said food
crisis was looming large around the world and reached emergency
proportions, while calling for short-term emergency measures in many
regions and long-term efforts to increase production.
Mr S. Kumarasamy, Chairman, Agrochemical Policy Group, said crop loss
in India was because only a fourth of the total cropped area of 180
million hectares was treated with crop protection chemicals.
5-fold return
He said there was an urgent need to step-up farm output and farmers
could be assured of a five-fold return on the money spent on
pesticides. The agrochemical industry was keen on joining hands with
the agriculture department to promote safe and judicious use of
pesticides.
The level of pesticide use in India was 480 gm per hectare, while it
was 17,000 gm in Taiwan, 17,000 gm in Japan, and 4,500 gm in the US.
In Europe, it was close to 3,000 gm a hectare. Correspondingly, crop
yields in India were the lowest.
Overdose a bane
However, even at the present level of usage, pesticides helped enhance
productivity of export-oriented crops such as tea, grapes and
pomegranate, besides vegetables. Reacting to concerns over pesticide
use in general, he said one should liken it to a doctor’s
prescription, and over-dose was a bane.
Right practices
However, Dr K.S.R.K. Murthy, President, Plant Protection Association
of India, Hyderabad, said pesticide use can be advocated only when
right agricultural practices were followed. Taiwan, Japan and other
countries followed such practices.
Need-based
Pesticide use was need-based and application should be only when the
economic threshold level was exceeded. Strict adherence to recommended
dosage, besides employing the right application method and equipment
were a must, else it was better to refrain from using pesticides.

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