Energy scenario of Indian agriculture and its future requirements

Adoption of high-yielding varieties, expansion of irrigation facilities, mechanization, and fertilizer-diesel-electricity combination have pushed the demand for commercial energy to a new height. The energy requirements for crop production for the year 1986–1987 were estimated and the area under different crops was projected for the year 2000–2001. The total energy needs in 1986–1987 were estimated at 1.24 EJ (1 EJ = 1018 J) and will be 1.41 EJ in 2000–2001, resulting in an increase of 14% over the energy needs for the year 1986–1987. For irrigated crops, the main source of energy was fertilizers followed by electricity and diesel. However, for rainfed crops, the maximum energy was consumed in the form of seeds. In physical terms for the year 1986–1987, there was a need of 7810 million units of electricity (1 unit = 1 kWh), 2014 million litres of diesel, 6.41 million tons of the nitrogenous fertilizers and 0.096 million tons of pesticide chemicals (active ingredients). There would be an increase in the requirement of seeds for paddy, wheat, groundnut, sugarcane, potatoes, and castor, whereas the requirement of seeds for maize, gram and sorghum will decrease with respect to their needs for the year 1986–1987.