Agriculture plays a vital role in India's economy. The country has over 60% of its population dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, agricultural production faces many challenges from pests, weeds and diseases. If left uncontrolled, these cause significant crop loss and threaten food security. Crop protection chemicals have emerged as an important tool to safeguard our agricultural output. However, their use also raises certain environmental and health concerns. This article examines the need for crop protection products and discusses approaches to ensure their safe and judicious application.

The importance of crop protection

Agricultural pests like insects, weeds and plant pathogens can destroy entire fields if not checked effectively. Pre-harvest crop loss due to these pests is estimated at 30-40% for major crops in India. This level of loss is unsustainable and poses a danger to our national food security.

Crop protection chemicals play a vital role in shielding crops from pests and maximizing yields. Insecticides protect crops from damaging insect attacks. Herbicides are used to control weeds that compete with crops for water, nutrients and sunlight. Fungicides prevent fungal diseases from destroying plant tissue and reducing harvests. Without these crop protection tools, agricultural production would suffer immensely.

Appropriate use of crop protection products

While Crop protection chemicals are indispensable for ensuring food security, their use also raises environmental and health concerns if not managed properly. Agricultural experts emphasize that the key is to apply these chemicals judiciously and as per recommended practices.

Farmers must always read and follow label instructions for application methods and dosage. Overapplication or misuse of chemicals can harm the environment as well as human and animal health. The products should only be applied when pest presence crosses economic threshold levels as determined by agricultural experts.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is promoted as a sound strategy that combines chemical and non-chemical control methods. It involves regular monitoring of crops, identification of pests, and intervention only when absolutely necessary. Other non-chemical options like biopesticides, pheromone traps, resistant varieties etc. are also sometimes preferred over synthetic pesticides.

Policy measures for regulating use

The Government of India has put in place certain policies to ensure crop protection tools are utilized safely:

- The Insecticides Act regulates manufacture, sale and use of insecticides to prevent unreasonable risk to humans or environment. It provides for penalties in cases of misbranded or spurious products in the market.

- All crop protection products sold in India undergo a two-tier review and registration process with authorities like the CIB&RC for assessing health and environmental risks. Only products with minimum risk are allowed.

- Sale of registered insecticides is permitted only through licensed dealers who maintain records of products stocked and distributed. This enables traceability in case of issues.

- Integrated Pest Management is being promoted through programmes like the National Food Security Mission. This encourages farmers away from unnecessary reliance on chemicals alone.

- Regular monitoring and enforcement help curb misuse of pesticides. States conduct residue tests on farm produce to ensure chemical limits are within prescribed standards.

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