Lok Sabha Question No. 3168 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-21
Subject: Wastage of Crops
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA, NINONG ERING

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3168

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21/03/2017

## WASTAGE OF CROPS

## 3168. SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA:

## SHRI NINONG ERING:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k ,oa 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  nearly  30-35%  per  cent  of  the  annual  crop  yield  in  the country gets wasted due to pests;
- (b) if so, the facts and details thereof;
- (c) whether it is a fact that the crop loss due to pests is having an adverse effect on the agricultural bio-safety which is paramount to 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 ,oa 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 insect pests and diseases in different crops.
- (b) 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 % 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.

(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 rusts of wheat and 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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