{"id":58495,"date":"2025-08-07T11:05:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=58495"},"modified":"2025-08-07T11:23:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:53:26","slug":"indias-herbicide-boom-changing-trends-in-crop-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-herbicide-boom-changing-trends-in-crop-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Herbicide Boom: Changing Trends in Crop Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>India\u2019s Herbicide Market Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crop protection chemicals, commonly referred to as pesticides, are substances applied to crops to safeguard them from damage caused by pests.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These pests may harm crops directly by feeding on them or indirectly by spreading diseases.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, the white-backed plant hopper attacks rice crops both by feeding on them and by transmitting the Fiji virus, which leads to stunted plant growth\u2014a problem currently affecting paddy farmers in Punjab and Haryana.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <\/span><b>insecticides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> target such harmful insects, crop protection chemicals also include <\/span><b>fungicides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for fungal diseases like blast in rice and rust in wheat, and <\/span><b>herbicides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to control weeds that compete with crops for nutrients.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article explores how rising labour shortages and evolving farming practices are driving a rapid shift in India\u2019s pesticide market, especially towards herbicides, amid multinational dominance and Indian innovation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Herbicides: The Fastest-Growing Segment in India\u2019s Crop Protection Market<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s organised crop protection chemicals market, valued at approximately \u20b924,500 crore, is witnessing rapid growth in the herbicide segment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While insecticides lead the market at \u20b910,700 crore, herbicides follow closely at \u20b98,200 crore, growing at an annual rate of over 10%, the fastest among all segments.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58509\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/current-affairs-wp-uploads\/2025\/08\/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"188\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This space is largely dominated by multinational giants, many of which are backed by Chinese state-owned Sinochem Holdings. However, Indian companies are also making inroads.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Labour Shortage Fuels Surge in Herbicide Use<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weeds indirectly harm crops by competing for essential resources like water, nutrients, and sunlight, and sometimes even hosting pests and pathogens.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditionally, farmers controlled weeds through manual weeding or tools like khurpi, and in recent years, power weeders.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, manual weeding is labour-intensive and time-consuming\u2014requiring 8\u201310 hours per acre\u2014and needs to be repeated throughout the crop cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though power weeders reduce this to 2\u20133 hours, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they are not effective for all weed types, especially those with deep roots or growing in dense crop areas<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, <\/span><b>agricultural labour shortages have worsened<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and wages have risen significantly\u2014from \u20b9326.2 in 2019 to \u20b9447.6 in 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With fewer rural workers willing to engage in strenuous fieldwork, farmers increasingly rely on herbicides.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Herbicides now function as labour-saving tools, much like tractors, addressing the twin challenges of time and workforce scarcity in Indian agriculture.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Shift Towards Preventive Herbicide Use in Indian Agriculture<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditionally, farmers applied insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides only when pest or weed infestations visibly crossed economic threshold levels\u2014when anticipated crop losses justified the cost of treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the herbicide market is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">evolving with a growing shift towards preventive strategies<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Farmers are increasingly using <\/span><b>pre-emergent herbicides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014sprayed around or just after sowing\u2014to prevent weed growth altogether and maintain clean fields from the outset.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others opt for early <\/span><b>post-emergent herbicides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to target weeds during the crop\u2019s sensitive early stages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This proactive approach is gaining momentum, especially amid acute farm labour shortages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the \u20b91,500-crore paddy herbicide market, pre-emergent products make up about \u20b9550 crore, and roughly 20% of the \u20b91,000-crore wheat herbicide market.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These sub-segments are now the main drivers of growth in India&#8217;s crop protection space, reflecting a broader shift from reactive to preventive weed management.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Multinational Monopoly and Indian Push in Herbicide Market<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While India has a diverse base of public and private players in seeds and fertilisers, its <\/span><b>crop protection chemicals industry remains dominated by multinational corporations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, raising concerns of monopoly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite this, Indian firms are gradually making inroads. Crystal Crop Protection Ltd (CCPL), for example, is developing innovative products through international collaborations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In partnership with multinational corporations, CCPL introduced a new paddy herbicide called <\/span><b><i>Sikosa<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which combines two active ingredients\u2014Bensulfuron-methyl and Pretilachlor\u2014in a patented oil-dispersion formulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This formulation allows efficient application within 0\u20133 days after transplanting, offering broad-spectrum weed control at a cost-effective price of \u20b9850\u2013\u20b9900 per acre\u2014far cheaper than manual weeding.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While such developments show promise, India still lacks a dominant global player like China\u2019s Sinochem Holdings Corporation, reflecting the long road ahead for Indian companies in breaking the multinational stronghold.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/india-pesticide-market-change-growth-fungicide-10167612\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India&#8217;s pesticide market is shifting as labour shortages drive farmers to herbicides. Explore rising trends, key players, and challenges in crop protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":58502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2057,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-58495","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-indias-herbicide-market","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}