The Indian agrochemicals industry is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent, to reach over $1.7 billion by 2012, driven by various factors including the need for foodgrains self-sufficiency and the momentum in floriculture and horticulture sectors.

“Increasing population, high emphasis on achieving foodgrains self-sufficiency, limited farmland availability coupled with pressure to increase yield per hectare and growth in horticulture and floriculture is expected to increase the usage of agrochemicals in the future”, the Founder and Managing Director of Camson Biotechnologies Ltd, Mr Dhirendra Kumar, told PTI.

Companies are increasing their marketing efforts to train farmers, among other things, about the right use of agrochemicals in terms of quantity to be used. With increased awareness, the use of agrochemicals will also increase, he said.

Currently, crop lost due to non-use of pesticides is estimated to be around $17 billion every year.

“Indian floriculture industry has grown by 50 per cent in last three years. The National Horticulture Mission targets to double production by 2012. Flourishing horticulture and floriculture industries will need increasing amounts of agrochemicals, especially fungicides”, he said.

The Indian agrochemicals market grew at a rate of 11 per cent from $1.22 billion in 2008 to over $1.36 billion in 2009.

India is the fourth largest producer of agrochemicals in the world after the United States, Japan, and China, he said.

Bio-fertilisers and biocides are perfect substitutes for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. However bringing out “change in the mindset of farmers”, who have been using the tried and tested chemical pesticides for generations, is one of the biggest challenges that the bio-fertilisers sector faces.

The sector is striving to woo farmers to switch from chemical pesticides to natural biocides, Mr Kumar said.

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