Bayer CropScience on Monday said it has partnered with agri business division of ITC to extend the reach of its crop protection products through ITC's e-Choupal 4.0 platform. The partnership has commenced as a pilot project in Mysore in Karnataka and will gradually be expanded to other geographies across India, Bayer said in a statement.
With COVID-19 disrupting farming operations and on-farm advisory, this initiative will help farmers avail agri-inputs and digital advisory on a timely basis, it added.
ITC and Bayer are jointly training and on-boarding retailers in Mysore, to cater to farmers' orders placed through the e-Choupal 4.0 platform.
Field Officers from both companies have also received extensive training on product knowledge and technical advisory to support farmers.
Over 42,000 ITC farmers, covering 60,000 hectares across 1,100 villages in Mysore region would be benefitted from this partnership.
Farmers can place their order for Bayer products through the e-Choupal 4.0 platform and track their orders. Those without access to smartphones can place their orders online with assistance from Bayer and ITC's field staff. Offline orders can also be placed.
“Farmers in India often struggle to get access to agri-inputs, training and advisory under one roof. Lack of modern technologies and good agricultural practices hamper crop productivity and profitability. At Bayer, we are looking at collaborations to create greater value for farmers and the entire agri eco-system," Bayer CropScience CEO and MD D Narain said.
Bayer's partnership with ITC aims to offer tailored solutions, enabling farmers to achieve better harvests and progress to sustainable agriculture, Narain added.
Sanjiv Rangrass of ITC, who has been driving the e-Choupal 4.0 initiative, said: "This collaboration with Bayer will enable access to quality inputs by digitalizing the local marketplace eco-system for farmers. This will leverage Bayer's expertise in agri-inputs and ITC's deep-rooted linkages with farmers through the e-Choupal 4.0 platform, thereby creating value and a brand of trust for the farmers.”
ITC's e-Choupal 4.0 platform aims at providing on-demand crop advisory linked to products and services across the value chain.
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