Changing Nature of

Agricultural Input Management

HARD

Vs

SOFT

CHEMISTRY

Traditional Thought• Enhance plant Yield by using direct

nutrients- Inorganic Fertilisers

• Kill the harmful pests- Weeds, Insects and Diseases.

• Symptomatic and Direct association.

• The More the Merrier. Bang the plants and soil. No thought for efficiency

• Zero concern for environment and human health

Modern View• Maximum Care for Environment-

Maximise production with minimum impact.

• Holistic Approach towards nutrition and plant protection- achieving genetic potential– Elicitor Activity

– Combating Free Radicals

– Minimising Abiotic and Biotic Stress.

• Hard Chemistry only as a last resort.

Reduced Risk Pesticides in California.

• In 1996, 34% of all pesticides registered in California were ‘soft chemistry’.

• In 2003, 52% of all pesticides registered were “soft chemistry”’.

• 2012 = 74%

Soft Chemistry Scenario In India• Slow but steady Realisation that

Fertilisers and Pesticides are not enough

• Organic and Minimum Intervention Agriculture

• Activism against Hard Chemistry

• Soft Chemistry Products loosely called as BIO Products, or more appropriately Plant Growth Promotors (PGP)

• Unorganised and Unscruplous ( Bucket) Players

Hence the future lies in

SOFT CHEMISTRY

Promotion of Soft Chemistry Products

• TARGETED FIELD WORK– Market Segmentation

– Positioning

– Demonstration

– Customised Communication

– Wide Publicity of results

• Convince the stakeholders-– Channel Partners

– Progressive Farmers

– Scientists and Extension Workers

– Agricultutal Department. Officials

Challenges• Market dominated by unscrupulous

players- Bio is the DIRTY word.

• Lack of Standardization of Most of the products, specially the Marine Flora based.

• Difficult to Differentiate the product.

• No Regulatory or Registration framework of these products, leading to harassment of honest Players.

Approach towards Problem Solving• Industry to self regulate itself and make it

mandatory to mentioned the source, contents, and processing done on the product.

• Industry may represent to the government to protest against the continous harrasment.

• University Trials of these products to establish efficacy.

• Work on cellular level to establish efficacy.

• Scientific recording of efficacy of the product.

Thank You

Even Sky is not the limit for the relentless…