Excess rains spurs use of more herbicides this kharif cropping season

The use of herbicides by Indian farmers to control the growth of weeds this kharif cropping season would have gone up due to the excess rains witnessed during the key months of July-September.

Agrochemical makers have seen sales of herbicides going up this kharif season, even though the offtake in other categories such as insecticides and fungicides were muted.

“Excess rains would mean good for herbicides. The herbicide sales were good due to the continuous rains during August-September. However, the sales of fungicides and insecticides got impacted during this period” said Ashish Dobhal, CEO, UPL SAS.

Further, Dobhal said herbicides as a category in the country was growing fast compared to other agrochemicals. Due to the labour shortage and rising wages, growers who never used herbicides are also going for them to keep the weed growth under check, Dobhal said.

Agritech firm BigHaat, which sells various agri inputs to growers across the country directly, has seen a significant demand and growth in herbicides due to the excess rains this kharif cropping season.

“The recent rains have led to challenges in the weed management, emphaising the need for efficient herbicide solutions. The increase in herbicide sales indicates that farmers are proactively addressing these challenges, potentially shifting from traditional methods to more effective chemical applications,” said Srikant Vemula, Head of Agronomy at BigHaat.

“There is also a shift from manual to chemical-based weeding methods due to the rising labour costs, which had led to increased demand for pre and post emergent herbicides like Atrazine, Paraquat, Glyphosate and Glufosinate ammonium 13.5 are gaining popularity,” Vemula added.

Rajavelu NK, CEO-Crop Protection Business, Godrej Agrovet Ltd, said: “The herbicide market in India is entering a promising phase, marked by dynamic growth and evolving global demands. With an anticipated growth of 3.82 per cent CAGR from 2024 to 2028 , herbicides are becoming an essential driver within India’s agrochemical sector. The need for expanded crop production and arable land will be paramount as the world population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. This will directly translate to a surge in herbicide usage, as farmers and commercial farms work to maximise their yields and efficiency.

“Currently, herbicides already account for a 40 per cent market share within the broader agrochemicals industry in India. As exports by Indian chemical companies continue to rise, benefiting from improved manufacturing capabilities and global trade opportunities, we expect this herbicide segment to be a key driver of that export growth. However, the recovery in Europe remains a wild card — if it continues to be slow or unstable, Indian chemical exporters may face some headwinds. Nonetheless, the long-term outlook is extremely promising.”

Ankur Agarwal, CEO of Crystal Crop Protection Ltd, said his company also witnessed a higher trend in herbicide sales during the kharif cropping season.

“Herbicides sales were better than insecticides this year,” he added.

The use of herbicides in India is still lower compared to the global trends. As per the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage data for 2022-23, the insecticides accounted for 40 per cent of the crop protection solutions used in the country, followed by fungidices at 36 per cent and weedicides at 19 per cent with others accounting for the rest.

As per CropLife India, a body of agri-input makers, the crop protection industry in the country is expected to reach ₹355 billion by 2027. Over the last five years, the Indian crop protection market has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 7.6 per cent with the market growing to ₹264.8 billion in 2022 from ₹197.4 billion in 2018.