Seeds Industry to grow at a faster rate in next three years

The future of seeds industry in India seems to be very bright and it is expected that by 2015 it is likely to reach Rs 10,700 crore mark from the current level of about Rs 7,000 crore. A recent ASSOCHAM analysis says that the production levels of seeds in India are likely to grow from the current level of about 40 million quintals to about 63 million quintals by 2015.

The share of organised sector is just over half of the total seed industry at about Rs 3,250 crore while the unorganised sector accounts for the remaining as the marginal farmers comprise over 60 per cent of land owners in India and hence opt for cheaper seeds considering the cost of quality seeds is relatively higher.

Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are leading commercial seeds producing states in India. Limited availability of agricultural land, diverse use of agricultural crops leading to rising food crop prices, subsidies by the government to use high-yielding varieties to increase productivity and other multiple factors are driving the growth of Indian seed industry.

The seed companies are required to convince farmers to abandon conventional seeds in favour of high-yielding hybrid seeds as the switch can help the farmers get high yields, fetch better prices for their produce and almost triple their income.

The global industry for seeds is likely to cross $71 billion by 2015 from the current level of about $60 billion. The ASSOCHAM analysis reveals that farmers were gradually shedding the inhibitions about hybrids and shifting to the same as yields from varietal seeds were falling significantly but many were still reluctant as hybrids were not only expensive but also couldn’t be reused.

Cotton, corn, pearl millets, mustard and rapeseed, rice, sorghum, sunflower and vegetable hybrid seeds are gaining acceptance and this trend is being borne out of the variation in revenue composition of private sector seed companies. With about 20 per cent share, cotton is the biggest component in the hybrid seed market followed by rice (15 per cent), wheat and vegetables (over 10 per cent each).

While there are a handful of state seed corporations and Seed Farm Corporation of India, engaged in production, distribution and marketing of high volume low value public varieties, there are about 350 private sector producers and distributors and about 300 trading firms.

Seasonality factors and risks arising out of dependence on monsoon are certain key challenges faced by the seed companies which can surely be dealt with through strong research and development and products for both kharif and rabi seasons. Besides, there is also need to use proper technology to develop products suiting evolving disease profiles and climatic conditions.

A robust distribution network providing information on seed performance and improvements is required to gain greater acceptability. Besides, a proper inventory must be maintained to meet the future demand and crop-rotation must be done to retain the customers.

Need for Rural Youth in Agriculture

Rural youth are the future of the agricultural sector.  With a growing world population and a decreasing agricultural productivity in combination with a rural exodus, sustainable food production and supply are threatened. Young farmers play an important role in ensuring food security for future generations but they face many challenges.

The world population is projected to 9.3 billion in 2050 and to reach 10.1 billion by 2100.  According to the World Bank, the size of rural population is expected to continue to grow until 2020. This population growth has resulted in the ongoing sub-division of land and in highly fragmented parcels.   Therefore, youth (especially those with many siblings) end up inheriting just a very small piece.

There is a need to create more vocational training centres for the youth to revive agriculture whose contribution has come down to nearly 15% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the country.

Technological upgrading as well as social engineering will be essential for improving the productivity, profitability and sustainability of small farms. Educated youth can provide demand-driven services such as farm health monitoring and enhancement, production and marketing of the biological software essential for sustainable agriculture, climate risk management, organisation of bioparks, food parks, bio-villages, bioindustrial watersheds, and improved post-harvest technology.

For youth to be persuaded to take to farming, agriculture must be economically rewarding and intellectually stimulating. The development of the services sector in rural India will increase income and improve the efficiency of farming. Once a large number of educated youth settle in villages, much of the IT services work can be outsourced from urban to rural areas. This will help in maintaining our global leadership in this area by making such assignments very cost-effective.

Governments should promote policies and programmes that result in real improvements in the quality of agricultural jobs, especially through adoption of modern technology. They should also ensure that mechanisms, institutions and support networks are in place so young people can advance in these jobs. Because young people’s situations vary from region to region, approaches must be flexible and sensitive to local socio-economic realities.

As a responsible company working for the benefit of the farming community, Crystal Group is committed to encourage youth and support government’s policy for the need of youth in Indian agriculture.

Training programs essential to groom farmers

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and is the principal means of livelihood for over 60 percent of India's population. With the increasing population which is going to touch the 1.7 billion mark by 2050, there is a need to adopt modern technologies to increase crop production and reduce crop losses. The corporate sector can play an important role in generation and diffusion of technology in the years to come. This can be a major driver of change in Indian agriculture.

While we develop various technologies, we as a corporate have a huge responsibility to educate and create awareness among the farmers about the new technologies. There is an urgent need to groom the farmers and inform them about agro-chemicals usage and their application in terms of its quantity depending upon the nature of crops. It is the responsibility of every company working in this sector to disseminate right information which can help farmers in crop protection and increasing their crop productivity

Crystal Group believes that we as a corporate can benefit the farming community by involving and engaging them in training programs on a regular basis. As a part of the CSR activity, we organized 108 training programs across the nation to sensitize farmers on the basic philosophy of agricultural practices of ‘Right Chemical, Right Dosage, Right Time and Right Method of Application’.  The farmers were imparted with extensive training on the safe use of pesticides, nutrient management, spray technology and soil fertility/farm management.

These programs act as an excellent platforms for farmers to interact in person with agricultural experts getting first-hand experience. It also ensures that farmers are provided with the latest information regarding scientific techniques for crop cultivation. These sessions enable farmers to clarify any queries they may have regarding any technique.

Thousands of farmers participated in the training sessions which gave them an opportunity to put their queries before the experts and get the solutions. Several eminent scientists from the agriculture space also attended the programs to express their views on the use of modern technologies to enhance crop productivity. We can be successful in our efforts only when we as a responsible corporate engage more and more in such kind of activities which can benefit the farmers and the nation at large. 

Judicious Use of Pesticides a Must

The excessive, indiscriminate and unregulated use of pesticides has led to new problems and has resulted in the presence of pesticide residues in the food chain and environment. It is not only the responsibility of the government but also the manufacturers to advise the farming community to make safe and judicious use of pesticides. Pesticides should be used when necessary and farmers should always adhere to the set of guidelines recommended by the scientists and the experts.

There have been groups who have an agenda to nail the manufacturers by misleading the farming community.  Although various methods were used to control pests in different pest management systems, pesticides continue to be the major component of most of the pest control programme and will probably remain so in the near future. If crops are required to develop in a healthy manner, it is very necessary that undesirable and destructive micro-organism and plants are eliminated.

Today pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, nematicides etc) are extensively used all over the world to save crops in the field and in the storage. Evidence suggests that not only are chemical pesticides used in increasing quantities but they are sometimes used and handled in an irresponsible way. There is a huge misconception that use of pesticides has led to the problems affecting human health and environment.

In developed countries the usage of pesticides is 20 times more than India; their crop yields are much higher than ours. For this we must take steps to spread awareness on the judicious use of pesticides by organising educational programmes, seminars, publicity campaigns, radio and TV talk and kisan melas from time to time.

We must realise that pesticides are as important as any other ingredient for the crop production in this country. Pesticides like drugs are beneficial to man when properly used: if misused they may be extremely dangerous. It is entirely possible for a user to handle pesticides safely for many years with no obvious ill-effects to himself or his environment. The ill effects are preventable. Safe handling of pesticides by the user may be dealt with under the following precautionary measures:

Pesticide Selection

- Before making a selection, the pest problem should be identified.

- Select a pesticide that would control the pest with minimum danger to other organisms.

- The pesticide should be one approved, registered and recommended.

- Buy only the required quantity of pesticide and avoid storage.

Despite the fact that judicious use of pesticides can prevent crop losses and provide economic benefits to the farmers, pesticide consumption in India is limited to about 25% of the arable land. Pesticides are the last input in the agricultural process but are important for the sustainable development of agriculture and food security.

Engaging employees for CSR activity is important

We at Crystal have always believed in immense contribution for the sustainable development of the society. We have been taking up activities for last several years which helps in the overall growth of the society at large. It is not only important for organizations to formulate CSR strategies but also important to make them to be adapted by their employees. The success of implementation of corporate social responsibility relies upon the participation of employees in it.

The recent painting competition organized for the specially abled children in association with the NGO Deepalaya was an enriching experience for all our employees. We are glad that we managed to pull off a successful event with the help of our team which contributed in a big way by planning the activity and making the arrangements accordingly.

Interacting with the specially abled kids at the spot and help them understand the theme of the competition was altogether a different experience for each one of us who volunteered to be a part of this activity. There were children who could not hear, speak, walk etc. as well as those who were mentally challenged. It was a touching experience for all of us to mix with these kids and bring smile on their faces through this activity.

 Each and every kid at the spot tried to do something innovative and paint his mind on the canvas. It was amazing to see these bright and young talents who had the ability to become a successful artist someday in future if they are encouraged and motivated on a regular basis through these activities. This is one workforce where we must focus on and as a responsible citizen of the country must work on to bring them in the mainstream. As a corporate entity, we must take a step forward and pledge to make a difference in the society by contributing through such activities.

Changing the values and beliefs that some people have with regard to people with disabilities is very important. One of our responsibilities is to encourage humanitarian activities that would contribute to the development of our society. As much as each one of us harbour a dream, so do people with special needs. 

Pesticides are harmful for crops: A myth

The recent episode of the Satyamev Jayate which dealt with the harmful and long-term negative effects of pesticides projected a sorry state of the farmers in the country due to their usage of pesticides. It managed to grab eyeballs with a few experts citing certain surveys which said that rampant use of pesticides in the country is affecting human health, flora, fauna and the environment in general.

But how relevant are these surveys and the NGOs which raised a hue and cry on the issue?  India is the second biggest country in the world in value of agricultural production with a value of 210 billion dollars. We have less agricultural area per person than before, our lands have degraded, more villagers are quitting farming, shortage of labour & water, climate change affects agriculture. How come we now produce record levels of food grains, fruits and vegetables than before and feed 1.2 billion Indians?

Do we at all remember the First Green Revolution in the country where the judicious usage of pesticides helped us increase the production of food grains manifold. Earlier we had to beg & import grains from US to feed much lower population but now we export record quantity of Tea, Chilies, Fruits, Vegetables, Food grains to USA & EU, are they not checking pesticide residues in our exports? If we believe what was said on pesticide contaminated food on Satyamev Jayate, all our export consignments should be rejected & sent back by the importing countries. Why do we ignore technological progress and paint a panic picture to go back to bullock cart farming.

The pesticide consumption in India is one of the lowest in the world with 0.48 kg/ha whereas average world consumption is around 3 kg to 5 kg/ha. In some of the countries like Japan the pesticide consumption is 10.7 kg/ha. According to the Standing Committee Report of Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Govt. of India, annual crop losses in India due to pests and diseases is worth Rs. 90,000 crores, which could be saved by judicious use of Pesticides.

Today we are self sufficient in food production only because of the use of pesticides, fertilizers and quality seeds. As far as organic farming is concerned, please note there is no regulatory body as of today to monitor its quality, hygiene etc and organic farming cannot feed the fast growing world population due to its lower yield & quality of the produce. 

Pesticides key to curb crop losses

Food production capacity is faced with an ever-growing number of challenges, including a world population expected to grow to nearly 9 billion by 2050 and a falling ratio of arable land to population. It is estimated that crop losses in India account for 18 percent of the total crop yield every year.  Indian Agriculture loses Rs 1 lakh crore every year due to pest attack integrated with inadequate irrigation facilities and climate change. Hence we need to provide our farmers improvised products which are pest resistant and which can help improve crop productivity.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), some 30%- 40% of the world's potential crop production is already lost annually because of the effects of weeds, pests and diseases. These crop losses would be doubled if existing pesticide uses were abandoned, significantly raising food prices.

In an initiative to tackle the challenges by the farmers of our country, we decided to bring a product that could benefit this community and help them reduce crop losses. Lupho-36, the insecticide has the capability to enable farmers to grow an abundant supply of food in a safe manner and prevent costs from increasing. It is effective on sucking pest of Cotton, Paddy, Caster, Cardamom, Tea, Coffee, Coconut, Mango, Sugarcane and some caterpillars on Pulses. Even after harvest, crops are subject to attack by pests or diseases

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To ensure food security for the increasing population of this country we have to increase the judicious usage of pesticides and Insecticides and Luphos-36 can play a major role in achieving this herculean task. Pesticides are the last input in the agricultural process and are important for the sustainable development of agriculture and food. Despite the fact that judicious use of pesticides can prevent crop losses and provide economic benefits to the farmers, pesticide consumption in India is limited to about 25% of the arable land.

There are various reasons of the low usage and we need to create awareness on this. Some of the reasons include fragmented land holdings, lower level of irrigation, dependence on monsoons and low awareness among farmers about the benefits of usage of pesticides. Our group has always been committed to serve the farming community and we have been carrying out several activities in the remote areas to help farmers know more about how pesticides can benefit them and how they can increase their crop production.

The country approximately loses 18 per cent of the crop yield worth Rs 900 billion due to pest attack each year.  Of the 40,000 different types of insects about 1,000 have been listed as potential pests of economic plants, 500 pests have caused serious damage at some time or the other and 70 have been causing damage more often. Therefore, pesticides have been recognised as essential in increasing the agricultural production by preventing crop losses before and after harvesting.