CropWorld India 2010

The conference has been tailored to look at the specific issues in the crop production sector in India, its position in the global crop production market and the need to meet the demands of a rapidly changing global crop production industry. Set against the background of a world demanding 50% more food; 30% more water and 50% more energy by 2030. And an even more challenging scenario for 2050 by which time food production will need to have doubled in a sustainable way, in order to feed the world’s growing population which is set to rise to 9 billion.

Agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian economy. Agriculture accounts for 18.5% per cent of India’s GDP, growing steadily at 4%, and accounts for 15% of total exports. The agricultural sector employs nearly 58% of the workforce. The agricultural output, however, depends on monsoons as nearly 60 per cent of area sown is dependent on rainfall. Last year’s insufficient monsoon, coupled with an estimated 20% loss of farming out put lost to pests, has forced the Indian government to pay more attention to agriculture and food security.

India with a population of 1.13 billion, growing at about 1.6 percent per annum, is a large and growing market for agricultural and food products. The rapid increase in population and limited land availability acts as a crucial factor stimulating market growth and speeds India’s move towards increasing food yield for internal consumption as well as exports.

Central to the conference will be the commercial networking opportunities afforded to the sponsors, who will have the opportunity to meet key buyers and stakeholders in the sector from across the region.

Opportunities in the Indian crop production sector:

o Huge potential in Indian Market exists as the per capita agrochemicals consumption in India is much lower than the World average.Indias consumption of agrochemical is one of the lowest in the world, standing at 0.48kg per hectare. India produces approximately 16% of the worlds total food grain production and uses only around 2% of pesticides.
o Poor and inadequate use of pesticides is causing massive losses to yields in Indian agriculture. Official figures estimate that this amounts to $2 billion – affecting 20% of farming output. This is being counteracted with a number of governmental programmes.
o The recovery of South-East Asian economy and stabilization of regional currencies are giving farmers an incentive to invest in these crop protecting chemicals.
o Everything to play for: No clear market leader in the Indian market, as even the company with the maximum revenues has only 17% of the market share Market shares are almost equally divided between both multinationals and Indian companies. While the multinationals benefit from their improvised products, the Indian companies leverage their strong distribution.
o Research and Development opportunities: Indian companies still trail their foreign counterparts in R&D because of the level of investments required and the demanding regulatory framework.

Key commercial topics in the conference:

o Overview of Indian crop protection sector – the role of multinational companies and generics
o Regulatory issues
o New business opportunities in the Indian crop production market
o Developing international strategies in gaining and keeping contracts
o Examining opportunities in the Brazilian market
o Regional business development opportunities within South Asia
o Examining the latest EU agrochemical regulations
o Opportunities and challenges in biotech and GM crop production
o New product development
o Overview of the Chinese crop protection industry
o Examining key research and development from China
o Selecting sourcing partners: the role of China