Ignored Enemy in the Fields: Kisan-Vigyan Foundation Urges Indian Farmers to Recognize Weeds as a Threat to Their Livelihood

13 May 2025, New Delhi: In the everyday struggle of Indian farmers to produce more from shrinking land and unpredictable weather, there’s a quiet but powerful enemy undermining their hard work—weeds. While most attention is paid to fertilizers, seeds, and pest control, the loss caused by weeds in India’s fields has reached staggering proportions. The Kisan-Vigyan Foundation, in its newly released white paper “India’s National Weed Management Strategy – Ensuring Food Security by 2047”, has called on farmers to recognize weeds as a serious threat, one that could make or break their harvests in the coming decades.

The report reveals that weeds alone reduce yields by up to 26% in the kharif season and up to 25% in the rabi season. This isn’t just a percentage—it’s real money lost. The economic damage caused by weeds across India’s farming landscape is estimated to be ₹92,000 crore every year. And the worst part is that most of this damage can be prevented with the right practices and timely intervention.

Farmers, especially smallholders, often rely on laborers or family members to manually weed their crops. But labor shortages, rising wages, and limited awareness of alternatives mean that many are unable to keep up. Manual weeding demands nearly 20 labor days and costs about ₹7,500 per hectare. In contrast, herbicides offer a cost-effective solution at nearly half the price—but awareness and access remain barriers. The Foundation urges that farmers be provided not only with affordable herbicide options, but also proper training on safe and effective usage.

The white paper also warns of future threats. If India’s farmers do not adopt integrated weed management practices, weed resistance could rise, forcing greater dependence on expensive inputs and hurting soil health in the long term. More importantly, India’s dream of achieving food security by 2047 would be at risk.

For farmers, the message is simple but urgent: weed management is no longer optional—it is essential. Just as pests and diseases are kept in check to protect crops, so too must weeds be managed proactively if Indian agriculture is to remain viable and productive.

Download the full white paper on India’s National Weed Management Strategy here to explore the detailed data, scientific insights, and policy recommendations.

About Kisan-Vigyan Foundation   

Kisan-Vigyan Foundation (KAKV) is a think-tank created to focus on Food & Feed Security of India and to support policies for the economic welfare of the farmers. The foundation has strong governing council members from core sectors of agriculture to work on fact-based research findings and to raise concerns where necessary.

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