Agricultural Economics Research Review
Vol. 30 (No.1) January-June 2017 pp 163-172
DOI: 10.5958/0974-0279.2017.00015.5
Pesticide Consumption in India: A Spatiotemporal Analysis
§
P. Indira Devi*, Judy Thomas and Rajesh K. Raju
Centre of Excellence in Environmental Economics, College of Horticulture,
Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur- 680 656, Kerala
Abstract
The paper has described the consumption trends of pesticides over two decade period, 1991-2012 across
the states in India. The pesticide economy of India is more export-oriented in nature. The growth rate of
domestic consumption of pesticides, however, over different decades has shown wide fluctuations, though
the overall trend is negative (-2.48%).While analysing the trend of pesticide consumption in 29 states
and Union Territories (UTs) of India for the period 2000 to 2013, a positive growth trend has been
observed in 17 states/UTs. The positive growth has been observed highest in Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman
& Nicobar Islands and Tripura. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are the
states that accounted for 70 per cent of total pesticide consumption. The use-intensity has been found
highest in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by Punjab and Haryana. However, Punjab and Haryana have
exhibited a declining trend in pesticide consumption. On the contrary, Meghalaya where the intensity of
application is comparatively low, has registered an increasing trend in pesticide consumption. The majority
areas in NE region in general apply low levels of pesticides and are in a declining mode of consumption,
except the states like Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland (positive growth rate). The
paper has also discussed the retail sale pattern of pesticides. The paper has highlighted the need for
critical review of mismatch in policy and governance in the pesticide sector.
Key words: Pesticide consumption, pesticide marketing, use intensity, retail sale
JEL Classification: Q12, Q18
Introduction
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization
estimates that in developing countries, pests, weeds
and disease destroy about 40 per cent of crops while
they are still in the fields and 6 to 7 per cent of them
after the harvest. In Africa and Asia, the pre-harvest
losses are estimated at 50 per cent. Many researchers
(Cramer,1967; FAO, 1975; Pimentel, 1992; Oerke et
al.,1995) have put global crop losses due to pests
between one-third and one-half of the attainable crop
production, with crop losses in developing countries
at the higher side. The crop damage is caused highest
by insects, followed by pathogens and weeds.
Consequently, the use of chemical pesticides in
agriculture has been an integral part of crop production
in many regions, often at very high levels and
unscientific pattern of application (Atreya, 2007; Devi,
2010; Shetty et al., 2010). The role of pesticides in
augmenting agricultural output has been well perceived
and these have been considered as essential inputs in
agricultural production.
There is overwhelming evidence that some of these
chemicals do pose potential risks to the ecosystem in
general and human beings in particular (Jeyaratnam,
1990; Forget, 1993; Devi, 2010). It is estimated that
around 800,000 people in developing countries have
died due to pesticides since the onset of the Green
*Author for correspondence
Email: indiradevi.p@kau.in
§ This paper is drawn from the study entitled ‘Supply-side
Analysis of Pesticide Markets in Kerala: Evidences from
Retail Traders’.
164 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 30 (No.1) January-June 2017
Revolution. Nearly 20,000 people in developing
countries die each year because of pesticide
consumption through their food (Bhardwaj and
Sharma, 2013). Though all sections of the population
are exposed to the risks of pesticides at different levels,
the direct exposure risk is more among workers in
production centres, supply chain and end-users (farmers
and farm workers). Reports addressing the health
concerns of pesticide exposure are more concentrated
in the case of farm workers and farmers (Nyakundi et
al., 2010; Devi, 2012) and are rather limited for the
workers in production and handling sectors.
Despite these evidences, the pesticide market in
many developing economies are on a high growth
trajectory, with little concern on negative externalities.
With the increasing focus on ecosystem health and
human welfare, many states in India are in the process
of transforming agriculture to organic modes of
production. For instance, the state of Kerala has adopted
organic farming policy which aims to transform
agriculture fully to organic mode of production. The
Government of India is also giving considerable
emphasis on organic farming.
Despite several policy decisions, the pesticide
consumption pattern and the regulatory mechanism
across the states continue to be conventional—the one
that was designed to achieve the objectives of green
revolution. This mismatch in policy, governance and
practices needs to be reviewed critically, in the
background of organic farming policy. This paper
analyses the pesticide consumption pattern in India and
its different states to understand the pattern and trends
of their consumption.
Pesticide Economy in India
The increasing demand for agricultural products
and the resultant commercialization of agriculture have
induced a rising use of agricultural chemicals in India.
The shift of agriculture management strategies to the
mode of agribusiness laid emphasis on risk
management as one of the major challenges in
agriculture. Some estimates project that 35-45 per cent
crop production is lost due to insects, weeds and
diseases, while 35 per cent crop produces are lost during
storage. This naturally has facilitated the growth of the
crop protection market to the size of which, as per
reports, was worth $3.8 billion (2011-12). India is at
the fourth position in the global suppliers of
agrochemicals, after USA, Japan and China. The Indian
pesticide industry is the biggest in Asia and 12
th
in the
world.
According to the Indian Insecticides Act 1968, all
pesticide products are to be registered before they are
manufactured, sold, exported or imported. The
Pesticides Unit, under the Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India, monitors the demand and
availability of pesticides in the states. The Unit
coordinates with states/ UTs, Ministry of Chemicals
& Fertilizers, Department of Chemicals &
Petrochemicals and the pesticide industry for assessing
the demand for pesticides to ensure their timely
availability. It also collects/compiles data on pesticide
consumption, production, import/export and sale points
for the distribution of pesticides in the country.
As per the Standing Committee on Chemicals and
Fertilizers (2013) of India, pesticide production in India
during 2011-2012 stood at 68490 tonnes. The total
value of annual production of pesticides in the country
is about `8000 crore, out of which pesticides worth
`6000 crore are consumed in the country and the rest
are exported. The technical pesticides are produced in
the country by about 60 companies and their
formulations are produced by about 500 units. There
are 256 registered pesticide products in India. These
include two categories—technical grade and
formulated. Formulations are developed from technical
grade material by addition of emulsifiers or other
agents.
The pesticide market in India is expected to grow
at 12-13 per cent per annum to reach $6.8 billion (2017)
of which the domestic demand growth may be at the
rate of 8-9 per cent and export demand at 15-16 per
cent. According to The India Pesticides Industry
Analysis, the CAGR (compound annual growth rate)
is 14.7 per cent making the predicted size of market at
`2,29,800 million by 2018. According to the estimates
of Research on India (a leading provider of market
intelligence reports of industries), the pesticide market
in India is expected to grow at a rate of 2.38 per cent
(CAGR) per annum.
The Indian pesticide scenario seems to be more
export-oriented, as their exports have been increasing
over the years. The major export destinations for India
are: USA, UK, France, Netherlands, South Africa,
Bangladesh, Malaysia and Singapore. The recent
Indira Devi et al. : Pesticide Consumption in India: A Spatiotemporal Analysis 165
export data (2015) show that the herbicide, ‘Dicamba’,
is the maximum exported pesticide from India to the
tune of about 30,000 kg with the value of US$6,51,578,
followed by ‘Cypermethrin’ formulations with 19,000
litres. (Source:http://www.infodriveindia.com/india-
export-data/pesticide-export-data.aspx).
The production capacity of pesticides in the
country is more than 1,39,000 tonnes per annum. The
production of pesticides in India remained at almost
static level during the 2005-2010 period, while their
imports show a varying trend (Table 1). The drought
year of 2007-08 witnessed a reduction in pesticide
production with the highest quantity of import that year
than in any other period. The consumption, however,
shows an increase in recent years. The imports,
currently are higher than the domestic consumption.
Among the pest control chemicals, insecticides
dominate the industry with 65 per cent of consumption,
followed by herbicides (16%), fungicides (15%) and
others (4%). This pattern is different from global pattern
where herbicides form the major share (44%), followed
by fungicides (27%), insecticides (22%) and others
(7%). The herbicide sector in India is the one that has
shown the fastest growth, mainly due to the rising farm
wages, thus making manual weed control costly (Devi,
2011).
Cotton and paddy are the major crops where
pesticides consumption is 50 per cent and 18 per cent,
respectively. Cotton covers only 5 per cent of the
cropped area, but accounts for 50 per cent of pesticide-
use. Rice, which is grown over 24 per cent of the
cropped area, consumes 18 per cent of the pesticides.
Fruits and vegetables account for a significant share
of agrochemicals, while they account for 18 per cent
of cropped area. Sugarcane uses 2 per cent of the
pesticides and other crops grown over 6 per cent of the
cropped area account for 1 per cent pesticides only
(Source: agropages.com).
Trends in Pesticide use in India
The demand and availability position of different
pesticides is reviewed regularly during the Zonal
Conferences on inputs for kharif and rabi with the state
representatives of the Departments of Agriculture. The
data from Government of India show that the
consumption of chemical pesticides (in terms of
technical grade) has declined from 72,130 tonnes in
1991-92 to 56,090 tonnes in 2012-13. The consumption
of pesticides shows wide fluctuations over the years,
which may be due to its relation with weather
parameters and availability in the market. During
extreme years of drought, like in early-2000s, the
consumption tends to move downwards. The intensity
of use (consumption per hectare of gross cropped area)
has also exhibited a similar trend. Figure 1 depicts a
general downward trend in pesticide consumption,
except in the past few years, which exhibit a rising
trend. This trend, however, does not match with the
organic farming policy, in general. But, the inferences
can be drawn if we attempt item-wise break up analysis
to find whether it is the ecofriendly chemical use that
is increasing .
To get a more realistic and detailed picture on the
consumption behaviour of pesticides in India over the
decades (1991-2011), the CAGR was computed and
the results are presented in Table 2. The growth rate
Table 1. Production, import, export and consumption of pesticides in India: 2005-06 to 2011-12
(in tonnes)
Year Production Import Total Consumption Export
2005-06 82240 18619 100839 39773 90788
2006-07 84701 28223 112924 41515 108092
2007-08 79756 29297 109053 43630 96268
2008-09 85338 18476 103814 43860 184537
2009-10 82185 22250 104435 41882 125818
2010-11 NA 53996 NA 55540 177789
2011-12 NA 58647 NA 52980 207256
Source: Indiastat.com
NA: Not Available
166 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 30 (No.1) January-June 2017
Figure 1. Trend in consumption of pesticides in India: 1991-92 to 2012-13
over different decades shows wide fluctuations, though
the overall trend is negative (-2.48%). The decade of
1991-2001 has shown a very high rate of decline (-
5.53%), though the succeeding decade has shown
stagnation (0.70%). The overall trend in pesticide
consumption has shown a declining pattern which is
relieving. However, this needs further analysis to
understand the real impact as to whether it is due to
the use of new generation products which need to be
applied in smaller quantities. The paper by Devi (2010),
analysing the pattern of chemical pesticide-use in
Kerala, reports about the situation in Kerala where the
growth rate of toxic chemicals is higher vis-a-vis of
safer ones.
Pesticide Consumption and Distribution Pattern
There is a wide regional variation in the use of
pesticides across the states in India. Table 3 details the
state-wise consumption of chemical pesticides in India
in 2012-13. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are the states that account
for 70 per cent of total pesticide consumption in India.
Twelve states consume more than 1000 tonnes each,
annually. Utter Pradesh is the leading consumer with
9035 tonnes. Sikkim, Mizoram, Goa, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh are
relatively the poor consumers of pesticides (less
than100 tonnes each). Rest of the states (Madhya
Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand,
Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Odisha and Kerala) can be
included in the medium users group where the pesticide
consumption is between 100 and 1000 tonnes.
However, this comparison is meaningful only when
it is made at unit area consumption level. This was
estimated by dividing the pesticide consumption by
gross cropped area in the respective states for a selected
year (intensity of use).
Though crop losses due to pest attack in India are
reported to be very high, the intensity of pesticide
consumption in the country is one of the lowest in the
world (291.2 grams/ha), compared to US (4.5kg/ha),
Japan (11kg/ha) and China (14kg/ha) and the world
average of 3 kg per ha. The worldwide consumption
of pesticides is about 2 million tonnes per year, out of
which India’s share is only 3.75 per cent. The area under
Table 2. Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of
pesticide consumption in India
Period CAGR
(per cent/year)
1991-01 -5.53
2001-11 0.70
1991-11 -2.48
Year
Indira Devi et al. : Pesticide Consumption in India: A Spatiotemporal Analysis 167
Table 3. State-wise consumption and CAGR of chemical pesticides in India: 2012-13
Sl. No. State Consumption Per ha consumption CAGR (per cent)
(in tonnes) (kg/ha of gross cropped area) 2000-01 to 2012-13
1 Andhra Pradesh 6500 0.581 4.26
2 Arunachal Pradesh 17* 0.080 -5.44
3 Assam 183 0.065 -6.08
4 Bihar 687 0.131 -2.4
5 Chhattisgarh 675 0.144 3.29
6 Goa 9 0.069 5.42
7 Gujarat 1210 0.117 -6.24
8 Haryana 4050 1.151 -2.07
9 Himachal Pradesh 320 0.594 -0.26
10 Jammu & Kashmir 1711* 2.337 100.22
11 Jharkhand 151 0.139 6.89
12 Karnataka 1225 0.116 -4.3
13 Kerala 856 0.413 -0.66
14 Madhya Pradesh 659 0.044 2.18
15 Maharashtra 6617 0.380 6.67
16 Manipur 30 0.086 5.25
17 Meghalaya 9* 0.032 3.05
18 Mizoram 4 0.031 -7.53
19 Nagaland 16 0.044 8.82
20 Odisha 601 0.128 -2.08
21 Punjab 5725 1.377 -2.23
22 Rajasthan 1250 0.068 -1.78
23 Sikkim 3 0.039 1.13
24 Tamil Nadu 1919 0.387 1.37
25 Tripura 266* 1.039 9.21
26 Uttar Pradesh 9035 0.545 2.95
27 Uttarakhand 220 0.304 7.29
28 West Bengal 3390 0.679 0.91
29 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 7 0.467 17.85
India 45619 0.2912
Note: *Data for 2011-12
pesticide-use in India is only 9 per cent of the total
cultivated land (16.7 million hectares).
The state of Jammu & Kashmir tops in the intensity
of pesticides application with an average level of 2.337
kg/ha, followed by Punjab (1.377kg/ha) and Haryana
(1.151 kg/ha). Apart from these states, the use-intensity
is high (more than 600 grams/ha) in Tripura and West
Bengal. The lowest use- level on a per hectare basis is
in Mizoram (0.031 kg/ha) and Meghalaya (0.032 kg/
ha). Most of the NE states (Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland,
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur), Rajastan and Madhya
Pradesh apply pesticides at less than 100 grams/ha of
cropped area. The rest of the states are medium users
of pesticides (100-600 grams/ha) (Figure 2).
While analyzing the trend of pesticide consumption
in 29 states and Union Territories (UTs) of India for
the period 2000 to 2013, a positive growth trend was
observed in 17 states/UTs. The positive growth was
observed highest in Jammu & Kashmir (100.22%),
followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands (17.85%) and
