Vijayawada: It’s not just chillies, Andhra Pradesh farmers use pesticides indiscriminately in all major crops. According to the latest statistics available, in 2015-16 Andhra Pradesh farmers used 2713 tonnes of pesticides. The per-hectare use was 0.24 kg. But other states use much more. Pesticide consumption is the highest in Maharashtra, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. During the last decade, the total consumption increased in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, while it slightly declined in Punjab and Haryana. West Bengal, Gujarat and Karnataka have seen a steep decline in total consumption. On the other hand, Chhattisgarh and Kerala showed a steep increase in total pesticide consumption.
Per hectare consumption of pesticides in 2016-17 was the highest in Punjab (0.74 kg), followed by Haryana (0.62 kg) and Maharashtra (0.57 kg), while consumption levels were lower in Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
Pesticide production in India is dominated by insecticides and fungicides followed by herbicides and rodenticides. However, the share of inse cticides has come down from more than 70 per cent in 2003-04 to 39 per cent in 2016-17. The share of fungicides, herbicides and rodenticides grew over the same period. The growth in the use of fungicides is mainly because of their application in fruit and vegetable crops.
