The two-day BioAgri 2023, the biggest Bio Agri Solutions Conference & Expo is to kick off tomorrow in the city at HICC Novotel

It will be inaugurated by Dr T. Janakiram, Vice Chancellor, Dr YSR Horticultural University and Dr Praveen Rao, Former Vice Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU). SK Malhotra, Project Director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture (DKMA-ICAR) will deliver the Bio Agri Conference Address.

The theme for Bio Agri 2023 is “BioAg by 2030 – Miles To Go– Billions to Reach”.BIPA International Journal of Biological Agriculture will be launched during the conference. An exhibition will be held along with the conference. 

There has been a steady and growing realization that biologicals are here to stay because of all the benefits of using a biological – the increase in biodiversity and soil health and reduction in greenhouse gases and carbon footprint.

It is being organised by the BioAgri Input Producers Association “BIPA” which is registered as a Society,  a not-for-profit body with a governing body of seven eminent personalities from the agriculture field.

Some of the topics to be addressed during the two-day conference include Bio-abling the future --India opportunity;  Global business opportunities in Biologicals, bio-nutrition; Ag-biologicals: opportunities beyond agriculture, emerging technologies and business opportunities, investment opportunities in India and many others.

Bi0-Ag Solutions is a 'Sunrise Industry' and is bound to grow given many advantages such as consumer preference for organic and chemical-free food; the need to prevent soil and water depletion caused by climate change and chemical usage and many others. 

The Government's emphasis on “Natural Farming”, has inevitably boosted the usage of various BioAg inputs,  generating great interest amongst the national farming community.

The corporations are realizing that for sustainable agriculture and to mitigate the rising climatic deviations, excess usage of chemical fertilizers affecting soil conditions has only forced them to expand towards the biological sector.

As a whole, agriculture is moving towards biological agriculture due to climate resilience and the ill effects of chemical-based farming practices.

India has massive potential as a sourcing hub for biologicals.

Consider that the organic food segment in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10% during 2015-25, and is estimated to reach INR 75,000 crores (US$ 10.73 billion) by 2025 from INR 2,700 crores (US$ 386.32 million) in 2015.

According to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, 2.78 million hectares of farmland were under organic cultivation as of March 2020. This is 2% of the net sown area in the country. The top state that accounts for the largest area under organic cultivation, Madhya Pradesh, has only around 4.9% of its net sown area under organic farming.

Going forward, adopting food safety and quality assurance mechanisms will help boost BioAg inputs’ usage in agriculture along with digitization and traceability applications.

The biostimulants market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.06% during the forecast period to reach US$145.947 million by 2027, from US$58.112 million in 2020. Increased demand for organic food is expected to drive the market for biostimulants in India.

According to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Organics International Report 2021, India ranks first in Asia and fifth globally with 23 lakh hectares under organic farming. Moreover, as per a FiBL report from 2021, India expanded the fastest by adding about 3.6 lakh hectares of organic land.

India has around 15,000 certified organic farms, according to the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD).

Agriculture is a vital organ in India’s economy. Fifty- eight per cent of the nation’s total workforce is engaged either directly in agriculture or allied sector activities. Specifically, this accounts for 18.8% of the country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and is estimated at INR 19.48 lakh crore (US$ 276.37 billion) in FY20.

India spans a total geographical region of 328.7 million hectares, of which 139.4 million hectares is the reported net sown area. Another 200.2 million hectares is the gross cropped area with a cropping intensity of 143.6%. The net area sown accounts for 42.4% of the total geographical area, with a net irrigated area of 68.6 million hectares.