Glyphosate Remains the Most Important Herbicide in Global Agriculture Supported by Robust Adoption of Genetically Modified Herbicide Tolerant Crops
Growing adoption of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops among small and large scale farmers and the resulting increased use of the herbicide in a wide range of crops hitherto sensitive to glyphosate is poised to drive the global market for Glyphosate to exceed 1.2 million metric tons by 2022 . Glyphosate represents one of the widely used herbicidal active ingredients globally. A non-selective, translocated, foliar-acting herbicide, glyphosate exterminates any plant that it comes into contact with, by entering into the plant’s internal system and by blocking certain enzymes needed for protein and amino acid synthesis. Glyphosate originally came to fore in 1970s following the commercial launch of Roundup by Monsanto in 1974, and made rapid progress subsequent to the expiry of Monsanto’s license for the herbicide in 2000. The foray of a slew of Chinese manufacturers in early- to mid-2000s catapulted the production and supply of the glyphosate-based herbicides in the global...