'Tapping food processing sector to support agrochem industry'

New Delhi, April 20 Agrochem company Insecticides (India) Ltd has said that government's focus on the food processing industry will also support the agrochemical industry.

The company said implementing robust farmers' education programme and improving R&D investments by all industry players are also required.

Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Ltd said that India is among the top manufacturers of agrochemicals and one of the top exporters as well, however, domestic consumption of agrochemicals remain dismal which leaves crops vulnerable to threats insects, diseases and weeds.

"Realising the Prime Minister's call to expand Indian agriculture to the world is an opportunity to the Indian agrochemicals industry as crop protection products will play an important role here," the MD said.

Noting that in the past few years, the agrochemicals industry in India has grown by about five per cent, Aggarwal said that the challenges however have largely remained the same.

"As a responsible company, IIL has been investing in R&D in a sustained manner and carrying out farmers' education programmes in various parts of the country. Even during the pandemic when such programmes were not being allowed physically, we collaborated with local NGOs to distribute short but informative pieces in vernacular languages digitally." added Aggarwal.