With snakes disappearing fast, rats were having a field day in India?s chilli farms. But now, the ground situation is turning equally bad for the rodents as chilli farming is seeing an ever-increasing use of a cocktail of pesticides to keep production rising every year. This is not just a scare for the rats, high pesticide residue in Indian chillies is causing concern among experts who say the rampant use of chemicals is not sustainable. India is the leading chilli producer, contributing close to 43% of the world?s production, followed by China (8.6%) and Peru (5.6%). India produces around 12-13 lakh tonne of chilli from 6-7 lakh hectare. But India?s produce also has higher pesticide residue compared to other countries.
?The country?s chilli production has registered nearly a 70% growth since 1990, despite area under crop cultivation having declined. The rise in output is attributed to the significant rise in yield following the introduction of high-yielding variety of seeds which are resistant to pests and diseases. Improved irrigation facilities have also helped,? said Nalini Rao of Angel Broking. The global production has grown by 60% over the last two decades but the area under cultivation has not seen a commensurate rise and stands at around 1.9 million hectare and India accounts for around half of the world area under chilli cultivation.
The area under cultivation in the country stands at around 0.8 million hectare with yield nearly 1,700 kg per hectare. Yield has increased by more than 90% during the period, Nalini said. ?The Indian productivity in chillies has been very positive, showing a rise from 1,176 kg per hectare in 2001 to 1,700 kg per hectare in 2010,? P Raghu Ram of SV Agricultural College, Tirupati, said.
?In order to achieve higher yields, farmers cultivate this crop with very high external chemical inputs. The excessive chemical use not only leads to proliferation of pests and diseases which further increases cost of cultivation, it also adversely affects the quality of the produce?leading to consequent health hazards,? said Peraiah Ravipati, a leading chilli farmer and member of Spices Board. The highly intensive chemical input method is not sustainable and the yield levels are also stagnating in recent years coupled with viral epidemics in the farming area, he added. ?Faulty agronomic practices have brought a plethora of environmental problems resulting in declining productivity and reduction in soil fertility,? Ravipati said.
?Pesticide residues are little more in Indian chillies compared to produce from other countries. Approximately, R15,000 per hectare is spent on measures to control sucking pests and borers,? P Raghu Ram told FE. ?Pesticide residues can be reduced through organic farming. Even if the farmers start organic farming of chillies, it will take a couple of years before pesticide-residue free chillies are produced as pesticide?residues remain in the soil for some time. Cultivation in virgin lands may be an answer in this regard through which we can also generate greater export demand,? he added.
The focus on chilli has come as the commodity began to fetch higher returns due to robust demand. India earns around R1,500 crore annually from chilli export. The total earning from chilli farming is around R10,000 crore annually and this amount is increasing steadily with farmers getting higher returns for their investment and labour. Consumption of chilli is increasing substantially with branded powder sales growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% while the spices-mix category is growing at a CAGR of 7%, says a Spices Board of India report. Chilli production from the leading producers is growing at a CAGR of 5.2% and production has dipped only in Hungary. Chinese chilli output has been fluctuating because of erratic weather patterns. ?In terms of volume chilli exports have registered a CAGR of 16.17% in the last two decades and in terms of value a CAGR of22.69%,? Rao said.
India exports around 2,00,000-2,40,000 tonne of chilli annually. A significant jump in exports occurred since 2004, coinciding with the rise in domestic yield. Higher exports in the last two years were largely due to lower production in other nations, particularly China and Pakistan. According to the Spices Board, Malaysia is the largest importer of Indian chilli followed by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and China.
?It is important to halt further degradation of land and environment. Organic farming alone cannot feed the growing population of this country, at the same time chemical farming is also not sustainable. Thus, combined use of organic and inorganic material in recommended proportions can play a pivotal role in improving the soil health and crop productivity,? Ravipati said. ?The principle behind sustainable cultivation of any crop is based on soil health, adoption of integrated plant nutrient and pest management practices,? he added.