Proceedings

of
11th Agrochemicals Conference 2022
Theme: Policy landscape for a flourishing Agrochemicals Industry
June 23, 2022, 1530 - 1630 Hrs. at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the support of Department of
Chemicals & Petrochemicals and Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India is
organizing the 11th Edition of Agrochemicals Conference on 23rd June 2022 from 1000 hrs to 1730 hrs
Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi with the theme “Policy landscape for a flourishing Agrochemicals Industry”.
The conference was inaugurated with a lamp lighting ceremony and the felicitation of the dignitaries
marking the commencement of event proceedings.

INAUGURAL SESSION
Session Speakers:
Mr. R. G. Agarwal, Chairman FICCI Crop Protection Committee & Chairman, Dhanuka Group
Shri Bhagwant Khuba (Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisers and New & Renewable Energy)
Shri Vijay Sampla (Chairman, National Commission of Scheduled Castes) addressed the event participants
across various topics as follows:
The key discussion points are:

• Importance of agrochemicals in Indian agriculture and improving its productivity and overall
production. China has lesser land under cultivation and average rainfall than India but has
significantly higher productivity in major crops like rice, maize and soybean. India should take
steps towards unlocking the GDP per acre of land which can make the GDP contribution of Indian
agriculture sector to around 1 trillion USD. Per acre usage in India of pesticides is very low
compared to China and pesticide consumption itself can contribute significantly towards
improving the crop productivities
• The importance of extension system in bringing new and improved practices, methods and
technologies to farmers, especially small and marginal farmers and marginalised communities
among farmers was highlighted. Focus needs to be improved towards research and development
not only towards bringing new technologies but also giving equal importance to disseminating the
same to farmers
• Importance of food security and improving income of farmers with sustainability was highlighted.
The Government has been working towards and strives to work towards the benefits of farmers
and the agriculture sector through policy support, subsidies, and price support. In light of the
same, providing improved and low-cost agrochemicals to farmers should be put on priority
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare addressed the
conference virtually during the event. Shri Tomar highlighted the importance of agriculture in Indian
economy and the role it will continue to play in India’s economic growth. He highlighted that while India
is among the major producers of agricultural commodities, there is scope and need for significant

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improvements in the areas of productivity, profitability and preserving the crop post-harvest. He
mentioned that the Government is working in the direction of improving results in these areas.

Panel Discussion I: Policy landscape for a Flourishing Agrochemicals Industry

The following participants formed the panel:

• Mr. Ashok Varma, Partner, PwC India
• Mr. Rafael Del Rio, Chairman, Syngenta India Private Limited
• Mr. Shubha Jyoti Roy, Senior VP, Jubilant Ingrevia Limited
• Mr. Punit Singh Thind, Director, Northern Farmers Mega FPO
• Mr. Angelo de Querioz Mauricio, Agricultural Attaché, Embassy of Brazil

Some of the key points presented and discussed during the discussion are as follows:

• The highlights of Indian agriculture in terms of production, exports and global position were
presented. The overview of the India agrochemicals industry and the role it plays in improving the
performance of agriculture sector, and the challenges it faces were highlighted. The current
regulatory framework pertaining to the agrochemicals industry and the way forwards in the areas
of policy interventions across (i) farming extension services, (ii) regulatory framework for
agrochemicals, (iii) technology and mechanization in agriculture and (iv) agricultural marketing
ecosystem were discussed with the end objectives of improving the productivity, farmer incomes,
and the domestic production and global position of Indian agrochemicals industry. The
Government was also appealed to reduce at the taxation on agrochemicals, which is as high as
18% on many products.
• The size and potential of the India’s agriculture sector was discussed, highlighting that the sector
still has a lot to achieve given its huge potential. India needs to identify and invest in the most
appropriate areas to unlock the potential of agriculture and allied industries. The policy
framework related to agrochemicals needs to be reviewed, in order to allow latest technology
and increased consumption. Registration process of agrochemicals needs to be smoothened and
shortened using global best practices, for example, in many countries, minor changes to
formulations and combinations does not require the entire registration process to be followed
again. The motivation behind this is evident, there are around 1200 molecules registered across
the world, while only around 25% are being allowed for use in India.
• The example of the growth of agrochemicals sector and the overall agriculture sector in Brazil was
discussed. The growth in Brazil was led by significant policy changes. The Government of Brazil
prioritised investment in research, development and innovation in both, public and private
domains. Possible opportunities were assessed based on their ease of implementation and impact
and were prioritized for investment and implementation.
• Indian farmers have significantly changed their input usage habits in the last decade. The input
usage distribution and the subsequent productivity in India is highly varied, wherein states like
Punjab and Haryana are matching global standards, while more backwards or developing areas of
India where input usage may be challenged due to several factors have significantly lower yields.
Other issues external to farmers, such as supply chain issues, vicious cycle of credit, lack of correct
advisory for product usage and very slow adoption of technology also exacerbate the challenges
of the sector

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 • Many international organizations have moved their manufacturing operations out of India and
are contemplating to move them into more conducive economies. This geographical
diversification can be a boon for India, since India can compete with China in terms of low cost
manufacturing. In light of this, The Government of India should prioritize to make policy amends
that welcome these global MNCs to set up their manufacturing operations in India. Also, policy
changes in the area of sustainability that promote green investments, BRSR, carbon footprint
reduction, etc. should also be brought in.

Technical Session: Measures to strengthen the ambit of Agricultural ecosystem and

debunking myths about pesticides

Session Speakers:
• Mr. Mukund Dusad, Regional Marketing Director, Solvay
• Ms. Mihaela Claudia PAUN, PMO, UNEP
• Mr. Harish Mehta, Senior Advisor, Crop Care Federation India
• Dr. Vishal Choudhary, Dy. Industrial Advisor, Dept. of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, GoI

Some of the key points presented and discussed during the discussion are as follows:

• Sustainable approaches in the areas of manufacturing, marketing and usage of agrochemicals

were discussed. Different sustainability approaches being practised around the world and in India
were discussed along with their end objectives and impact metrics till date
• Need of introducing further sustainability approaches in the agrochemicals industry was
discussed. The need was highlighted due to far reaching usage of agrochemicals and thus the far-
reaching impact of introducing sustainability in agrochemicals value chain was presented
• Several myths related to pesticides in the areas of usage, pollution of soil and water, spurious
products, farmer safety, human health, etc. were presented and debunked based on analysis of
data and research findings from different sources
• It was also discussed that the Government of India strives to make the policy landscape more
conducive for the chemicals and petrochemicals sector. The role of agrochemicals industry in
Indian agriculture and economy was recognized.

Technical Session: Enhancing the judicious use of agrochemicals and augmenting trade
opportunities for India agrochemical industry

Session Speakers:
• Mr. Susanta Kumar Purohit, Joint Secretary (Chemicals), Department of Chemicals and
Petrochemicals, GoI
• Mr. Sambit Patra, Management Consultant, Bain & Company
• Mr. Raajan Allawadhi, Executive Director, Best Agrowlife Limited
• Mr. Slag Hee Tan, Eecutive Director, Crop Life Asia
• Mr. Shashank Chaturvedi, CGM, HIL

Some of the key points presented and discussed during the discussion are as follows:

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 • The performance of the Indian agrochemicals industry in domestic and global markets was
discussed. The importance of improving manufacturing capacity and policy framework to fuel
India’s agrochemicals export and positioning it as a global agrochemicals manufacturing hub was
also discussed.
• The regulatory framework in India pertaining to agrochemicals was presented and the challenges
currently faced by the Indian agrochemicals industry were discussed. Policy interventions aimed
towards improving the performance of the industry, farmers’ access to improved agrochemicals
and scientific approaches towards judicious usage of pesticides (usage in the right quantity as
recommended) were also discussed.

Technical Session IV: Positioning agrochemicals sector for the future growth

Session Speakers:
• Mr. Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation, GoI
• Mr. CS Liew, MD, Pacific Agriscience,
• Mr. Rajvir Rathi, Head of Regulatory Sciences, APAC, Bayer
• Dr. A. Kuppusamy, Head - Registration and Regulatory Affairs, NACL Industries Ltd.
• Mr. Deepak Bhardwaj, IoTechworld Avigation

Some of the key points presented and discussed during the discussion are as follows:

• Recent advancements in the technological and policy landscape of drones and their usage in the
application of agrochemicals and fertilizers. The Government recognizes the potential of drone
technology and has made significant improvements in terms of policy, regulations and guidelines
aimed towards improved affordability, capability building and usage in agriculture. It was
mentioned that drones are a significant technology disruption that will change the way agriculture
is practiced, similar to how mobile phone and smartphone technology has brought about digital
revolution.
• The regulatory landscape in India pertaining to agrochemicals, fertilizers and the overall
agriculture sector were presented. Key areas where different stakeholders in the value chain face
major challenges from a policy and regulation perspective were discussed, followed by the way
forward to address these challenges. The key points were improvement in the registration
process, improvements in R&D infrastructure and improvements in ease of doing business to
ensure availability of best products to the farmers at the right time. Examples of global best
practices were also presented and the ways in which India can adopt some of these global best
practices in the area of policy and regulations were also discussed.

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