Pesticides: A Substance for Pest Control

Pesticides are crop protection which includes herbicides for destroying weeds and other unwanted vegetation, insecticides for controlling a wide variety of insects, fungicides used to prevent the growth of molds and mildew, disinfectants for preventing the spread of bacteria, and compounds used to control mice and rats. 

With the substantial rise in the world’s population year-on-year, there will be a rising demand for food to be met by the food crop production. Rising food crop production and acreage will give and impetus for a rise in the usage of pesticides for crop protection. Food crops like wheat, corn, rice and soybean rule the roost in terms of acreage and thus consume a large amount of crop protection chemicals. Food crops are followed by cash crop and fruits & vegetables in terms of consumption of pesticides for crop protection.

There are two major parent types of crop chemicals are bio-pesticides and synthetic pesticides. Bio-pesticides are a certain type derived naturally from animals, plants, microbes and certain naturally occurring minerals. They tend to pose fewer risks to the environment as compared to conventional chemicals. Synthetic pesticides can be insecticides to control insects, herbicides to control weeds, fungicides to control fungal disease, and other categories. Conventional farming has become quite reliant on synthetic pesticides, although they can also harm other living organisms and are often detrimental to the environment and human health.

The economic outlook for the Asia-Pacific region is favorable owing to the large economic developments in China and other developing countries. According to the International Monetary Funds, the economic growth in the APAC region is estimated to be approximately 5.5%-6% during the forecast period 2017-2021. The Asia region is a decisive component in the global food chain, accounting for 19% of total global food and agriculture exports and 31% of total food and agriculture import. Furthermore, China, Japan, and India hold the most regional share for Crop Protection Chemicals in APAC. The factor causing such rapid growth is the huge investments and government policies in agriculture throughout the APAC region. 

Chemical pesticides are an essential ally in crop protection. However, there is growing concern about their impact on the environment and human health, including the health of the farmers who use pesticides for crops. The governments and regulatory bodies are taking initiatives to minimize the usage of pesticides.  In Vietnam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has established the National IPM program. The FAO-endorsed farmer field schools (FFS) and Community IPM schemes enabled massive farmer training programs, and educated hundreds of thousands of growers on rational pesticide use. 

The Government of India considerably revised its original Insecticides Act, 1968, which bans the manufacture and use of more than 25 pesticides and has introduced the Pesticides Management Bill in the Parliament in 2008, which repeals the previous Insecticides Act to provide improved safeguards for public health and environment. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) conducts ecological risk assessments to determine whether changes to the use or proposed use of a pesticide are necessary. Before allowing pesticide products to be sold on the market, they ensure that the pesticide will not pose any unreasonable risks to plants, wildlife, or the environment.

In spite of severe environmental pressure, the world market for pesticides has grown phenomenally. China and Germany are the world leaders in pesticides export. There is an upsurge in the global pesticide market. The new insecticides, herbicides and fungicides and their formulations are being introduced with a greater level of activity, however, with conscious efforts for minimizing the hazards to human beings and the environment.