As plastic pollution surges across India farmlands, experts are warning that the growing menace of agricultural plastic waste is undermining efforts to build sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. From polyethylene mulch sheets to plastic irrigation tools and packaging, the silent invasion of plastic into agriculture has gone largely unchecked, with serious consequences for soil health, food safety, and long-term farm productivity.
A recent analysis by development expert Ashok Kumar Nayak, published in Down To Earth, highlights how plastic once embraced for boosting crop yields is now becoming an unmanageable crisis. Despite plastic’s vital role in moderating soil temperature and improving productivity, its widespread misuse and poor disposal are creating lasting damage to the environment. India’s farming fields, particularly in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, are now showing high levels of microplastic contamination up to 87.5 pieces per kilogram of soil in some areas.
The numbers are staggering. In 2019, global agriculture used an estimated 12 million tonnes of plastic for plant and animal production, and 37 million tonnes for food packaging, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Thin mulching sheets, often used by Indian farmers, can cover vast areas but leave behind micro-residues that disrupt soil organisms, harm earthworms, reduce soil fertility, and even enter crops. These microplastics are now part of the food chain posing serious health risks to both people and animals.
What’s worse, 90% of Indian villages lack any structured waste management, and over 67% of rural households routinely burn plastic waste, releasing harmful toxins into the air. Despite the scale of the crisis, most policy responses focus on urban plastic pollution, with little attention paid to rural and agricultural areas.
To tackle the crisis, Nayak stresses the need for an urgent, time-bound national action plan focused specifically on agricultural plastic. This includes banning single-use plastics in farms, enforcing stronger regulations on production and post-use management, and promoting bio-based alternatives. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other R&D institutions must also ramp up innovation in biodegradable agri-inputs.
The report calls for village-level climate action plans to integrate agri-plastic management, and urges Gram Panchayats to take the lead in waste monitoring, prevention, and enforcement. Regenerative farming practices like bio-mulching, composting, and cover cropping should replace plastic-intensive methods to preserve soil health and carbon.
Asia remains the world’s largest user of agri-plastics, and India, with over 665,000 villages, stands at the centre of this challenge. The author urges a shift in mindset from short-term crop gains to long-term environmental responsibility by empowering farmers with knowledge, incentives, and support systems.
Without swift action, experts warn, plastic pollution in agriculture could derail India’s food security goals and further accelerate rural ecological decline.