Agro Industry in India

Agriculture plays a very important role in India. The 125 crores industry has grown substantially over the decades, employing around 60% of the country’s population and accounting for 17% of the GDP. While the Green Revolution in the 1970’s spurred wheat production, rice was the main grain in the nineties. In fact, 191 million tonnes of rice was produced during 1994-95, a huge jump from 51 million tonnes in 1950-51. Today the nation is self-sufficient in food grains and  even exports to some extent. But still we are not self sufficient in pulses. Self sufficiency will be possible by implementing improved agricultural techniques, using high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, pesticides increasing cultivation area, and so on.

Some of the major crops grown in India are rice, maize, sugarcane, groundnut, barley, gram, and mustard. However, the crops are subject to changes in the country’s climate, which is tropical in nature. For example, the yield of groundnut depends upon the monsoon variability while rice itself is an integrator of rainfall. Apart from weather conditions, location and soil type are important factors in determining crop plantation.

The country loses about 20% to 30% of its crops annually to pests and diseases. In terms of money, the annual crop loss is estimated at around Rs.16,000 crores. Loss due to weeds accounts for 33%, from insects and rodents 20% and from birds and nematode 15%. Therefore, the need for crop nutrients – which are essential inputs in increasing agricultural produce by preventing crop losses before and after harvesting – has grown tremendously. Statistics show that about 7500 to 8000 tons (in terms of basic raw material) per year of pesticides are being consumed to control pests, weeds and diseases which affect agricultural yield.