Agri exports worth $27 billion at stake due to fake pesticides, says study
India’s export of food grains, fruits and vegetables worth more than $27 billion are at stake due to unchecked used of fake pesticides in the country, a study has said. “India's position as one of the leading food grain exporter in the world is fully at stake as the possibility of rumors or sabotage by other countries or rejection of Indian exports food items from developed importing countries would increase,” said a study conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Underlining the need for judicious usage of agrochemicals industry for sustained growth of agriculture sector, the industry body said that the incidence of spurious pesticides in the country was found to the extent of 25% by value and 30% by volume. “The problem is growing at the rate of 20% per year and if not addressed will reach the level of 40% by value by 2019,” it said, adding that the unchecked use of pesticides is expected to cause the loss of 10.6 million tonnes of food grain during the current year. According to the estimate, at least 29 million tonnes of food grains worth $26 billion and 3 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables worth $1.4 billion are already at stake. Apart from crop loss and damage to soil fertility, use of non-genuine products also leads to the loss of revenue to farmers, genuine industry and the government. The study has revealed that states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka are worst effected due to spurious pesticides.
September25, 2015 | 4:02pm IST.
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