Lok Sabha Question No. 3551 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-08
Subject: Losses of Crops due to Pests
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3551

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08/08/2017

## LOSSES OF CROPS DUE TO PESTS

## 3551. SHRI A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the scientists of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have recently stated that about 35 percent of the annual crop yield in the country gets wasted due to pests and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is also true that nematodes, consisting of roundworms, threadworms  and  eelworms  are  causing  loss  of  crops  to  the  tune  of  almost  60 million tones or 10-12 per cent of crop production every year and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  crop  losses  due  to  pests  is  having  an  adverse  effect  on  the agricultural bio-safety which is paramount for food security; and
- (d) if so, the steps taken by the Government to assist the farmers from crop losses due to pests across the country?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f'k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h

## (SHRI SUDARSHAN BHAGAT)

- (a) Scientists  of  National  Agricultural  Research  System  (NARS)  have  reported variable losses in yield due to pests and diseases of different crops.

Published reports showed that during 2010, 15-25 million tons of food grains were lost in India due to insect pests and diseases. During 2015-16 cotton crop was damaged  extensively  by  whitefly  to  the  extent  of  60-70  per  cent  in  Punjab. Similarly  in  other  crops  yield  losses  are  reported  depending  upon  the  severity  of stresses. However losses due to pest and diseases are not static and vary from year to  year  depending  upon  the  prevailing  agro-climatic  conditions  like  temperature, humidity, rainfall, host-genotype and other predisposing factors.

(b) Plant  parasitic  nematodes  (also  known  as  roundworms,  thread  worms  or eelworms) cause 12.3 percent crop losses on a global level. In India annual crop losses due to nematodes alone have been estimated to Rs. 21068 million.

(c) Crop losses due to pests and diseases may result in impairing product quality and  pose  a  threat  to  agricultural  biosecurity.  Though  pests  and  diseases  may  not affect  agricultural  biosafety  per  se,  crop  losses  if  not  managed  effectively  may affect food security.

(d) Crop  losses  due  to  pests  and  diseases  are  managed  predominantly  through exploitation  of  host  -  resistance  and  through  deployment  of  integrated  pest management strategies.  Diseases  like  yellow  rust  of  wheat,  blast  of  rice  etc.,  are managed through deployment of host resistance. Threats from invasive diseases like race UG99 of black rust or blast disease of wheat etc. that are not prevalent in the country,  are  managed  by  screening  and  breeding  resistance  against  the  disease outside the country in  hot  spots  where  they  are  prevalent.  Recently  losses  due  to whitefly  in  cotton  in  Punjab  during  2016-17  was  managed  efficiently  through adoption  of  integrated  pest  management  approaches  involving  relatively  tolerant genotypes,  timely  sowing,  avoidance  of  chemical  pesticides,  use  of  botanicals, biocontrol  agents,  yellow  sticky  traps  and  environmentally  safe  insect  growth regulators. For pests and diseases where the sources of resistance are not available, like  in  case  of  polyphagous  lepidopteran  insect  pests  of  cotton,  legume  crops, vegetables and plant viruses, genetically modified crops are contemplated through NARS.

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