Agriculture
Tech-tonic shift in Indian agriculture
There is abundant scope for technology adoption across the value chain. Look at technology adoption and opportunities at the production stage especially on the inputs side, which includes – information, irrigation, labour, machine, seeds, crop protection, fertiliser and speciality nutrients.
Indian agriculture has undergone a sea change in the last seven decades. Foodgrain production has risen from 50 million tonnes in 1947 to an estimated 300 million tonnes in 2020-21. During this period, it has transformed from a state of food shortages to a state of self-sufficiency and exportable surpluses.
India, blessed with diversified agro climatic conditions, has witnessed development with the adoption of technologies in agriculture which has helped us in achieving self-sufficiency in food.
Demand increasing, resources depleting…
Our increasing population and emergence as a global economic power put pressure on enhancing agricultural productivity as demand was increasing, but resources were depleting. Government interventions are imperative to create an enabling ecosystem which promotes greater adoption of technology benefiting farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture value chain.
Timely, accurate and relevant information
In a data-driven age, timely, accurate and relevant information can help farmers address challenges they are faced with. Fortunately technology, especially mobile technology, is helping them overcome barriers on dissemination of information and is giving access to crucial and pertinent data on crop growing methods, patterns, field conditions, reminders for activities, advance information on climate, pest, potential buyers, price, etc.
Pest risk prediction using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning are influential technologies in agriculture. The benefits of real-time intelligence on soil, crop health, moisture, weather conditions and pest forecast have already been realised. Remote sensing technology with hyper-spectral imaging and 3D laser scanning have been utilised for measuring canopy height/plant growth performance. Furthermore, yield predictions are being done using different algorithms and going forward these will play a major role in the growth of this industry.
Optimise water usAGE
The real dangers of climate change are looming over us. Faster technology adoption is a necessity as it can help optimise water usage through various methods – sprinkler, drip, crop shifts, shorter duration crops, etc. Government of India has recognised this need and the importance to promote water efficiency through its Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana initiative.
Custom hiring of equipment
The pace of urbanisation will severely impact cost and labour availability. Considering this, the Indian government is trying to promote cost effective mechanisation which involves custom hiring of equipment and machinery that farmers need. It is economical, especially to smallholder farmers, to hire equipment for planting and harvesting and to save the costs of buying, storing and maintaining the machinery. The use of drones for application of agrochemicals for better application efficiency and safety of farm workers is evolving in India along with the regulatory framework.
Enhance seed replacement rates
The National Seeds Policy 2002 clearly emphasises: “it has become evident that in order to achieve food production targets of the future, a major effort will be required to enhance the seed replacement rates of various crops. This would require a major increase in the production of quality seeds.” The next leg of our journey towards food sufficiency is widespread acceptance of the current technologies and adoption of new technologies that are becoming available at a rapid pace.
Hybrids for higher yields…
Hybrid crops have been developed for higher yields, better stress tolerance and comparatively shorter crop duration. Adoption of maize hybrids has helped in increasing production from 10 million tonnes in 2001 to 22 million tonnes in 2011 with enhancement of yield from 1.5 to 2.5T/ha, an 80 per cent improvement. Cotton hybrids, pioneered by India, witnessed swift adoption owing to their higher yielding potential as compared to open pollinated varieties. Incorporation of transgenic insect resistance further improved the yield performance and other key parameters in cotton cultivation.
Research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) indicates that hybrid rice technology offers opportunities for increasing rice yields by 15-20 per cent. India’s experience clearly shows that rice hybrids perform well under resource challenged conditions such as the eastern parts of the country, thus its adoption has been higher in these regions.
Hybrids significantly outperform due to their improved vigour, genetic disease resistance and higher female/male flower ratios. Hybrids often mature early, have better stress tolerance and provide uniform quality, an important feature urban consumers are looking for.
Biotech traits can help in quantum jumps…
Biotech traits are also gaining significant traction due to its specific proteins that aid pest control, herbicide tolerance, etc. Around 95 per cent of the estimated 11MHa of cotton cultivation is with Bt traits. It has helped in tripling productivity as yield enhanced from 2.3MT to more than 6MT and India became a net exporter of cotton from being a net importer, in just a decade. This is a fine example of how a relevant biotech trait can transform cultivation trends of a crop and its productivity. Though the herbicide tolerant trait stacked with the Bt trait is available in other countries, it is yet to be deregulated in India.
Nextgen technologies…
While transgenic crop technologies have showcased the potential of deploying non-native genes in plants, there are next generation technologies that hold even better promise. RNAi related technology has the potential to go beyond and module plant gene expression to impart abiotic stress tolerance and improve nutritional value. More recently, genome editing tools like CRISPR have the potential to introduce new plant varieties in record time and thus improve dramatically genetic gain in crops. Technologies like RNAi, mRNA inoculation, CRISPR have wider applications across various disciplines ranging from agriculture to disease diagnosis and human therapeutics.
Advanced agriculture economies like the US, Brazil… have benefited from the adoption of these technologies. Similarly. India needs to evolve a science-based prudent regulatory ecosystem for appropriate evaluation of these technologies for the benefit of farmers and stakeholders across the value chain.
Crop Protection
Insecticides, fungicides and herbicides play an important role in agriculture as every year, 20-30 per cent of food produced by farmers, worth about Rs 45,000 crore, is damaged by pests and crop diseases in India. What farmers need is a product which is cost competitive, convenient, efficient and safe to use without residue concerns.
To address the development of resistance to products and emergence of new threats, crop protection industry needs constant innovation. The focus should be on
developing new active ingredients and improving the delivery mechanism through innovative formulations. With increasing complexity of these formulations, manufacturing has become complex, thus increasing the cost of application; however it is being compensated by the efficiency and effectiveness of these technology-driven products.
Speciality nutrients
With intensive agricultural activity to feed the growing population, the availability of secondary and micronutrients in the soil has reduced considerably and, coupled with excessive nitrogen application, it has depleted the soil across the country. It is critical to have a balanced approach. Thus speciality nutrients play an important role to sustain agriculture productivity. Government initiatives such as the Soil Health Card Scheme is the right step towards addressing the issue more scientifically but, most importantly, educating farmers on the deficiencies of secondary and micronutrients, should take precedence.
Hi-tech farming technologies…
With greater urbanization and educated farming community, hi-tech farming technologies such as aeroponics, hydroponics, digital, remote sensing, precision farming… are expected to get greater focus in development as well as deployment. There are a number of innovative start-ups working in the area of agriculture to bring in new technology to the farmers covering supply chain, traceability, precision agriculture and finance.
Considering the small size of the landholding in India, we need unique technology aided solutions to address the challenges and make our agriculture sustainable. Strengthening the regulatory, investment and research ecosystem will give an impetus to making India a technology development hub.
Author is the MD & CEO, Rallis India.
