PESTICIDES AND INDIAN AGRICULTURE- A REVIEW

GloballymorethanhalfofthepesticidesareutilizedinAsia. Indiastands12thinpesticide use globally and 3rd in Asia after China and Turkey. In present study,the data of different types of pesticides, pesticide use pattern and detailed pes-ticide consumption of the India and world were collected, organized and sum-marized. Around 70% of the total population is employed under agriculturesector which is the most important sector of Indian economy. And pesticidesand fertilizers are major integral part of modern agriculture. Commonly usedpesticides includes insecticides, fungicides and herbicides for management ofuncontrolled weeds and pests on agricultural sites. However in total pesti-cide consumption, insecticides occupies highest share in India. India shareonly1% of the global pesticide use. As per the data of FAO, India has utilizedaround 58160 tonnes of pesticide in 2018. Per hectare application rate of pes-ticide was only 0.31 kg in 2017. While consumption in China, Japan and Amer-ica was around 13.07, 11.76 and 3.57 kg ha1of pesticides respectively. Soit is clear that India applies less amount of pesticides in per hectare of crop-land area, but uncontrolled and haphazard pesticide usage is responsible forthe presence of high pesticide residues in both natural and physical environ-ment. Bio-pesticides have proven to be the βinest alternative to chemical pes-ticides for promoting a sustainable method of development in the agriculturesector, while also reducing pollution caused by chemical pesticides. Many bio-pesticides are now being developed in India and could be excellent alternativesto chemical pesticides. There are many eco-friendly plant based and microbialbio-pesticides available in the market. Bio-pesticides consumption is only 8%in India. For sustainable agricultural development and to protect environmentfrom adverse effect of chemical pesticides, formulation and utilization of bio-pesticides should be prompted.