More than 600 crop advisors have been deployed by Insecticides (India) Ltd (IIL) across the country to assist farmers in selecting the appropriate crop protection chemicals for their needs.
During the current fiscal year, the advisors will help over 10 lakh farmers grasp every element of crop protection, from seed treatment to pest, weed, and disease management, as part of the Mega Extension Activities Program (MEAP).
Before the epidemic, IIL Foundation, the company's CSR arm, partnered with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) to launch an integrated pest management (IPM) research project in portions of Uttar Pradesh.
Aim of the Mission
“As part of our extension operations, IIL's objective is to assist farmers in understanding the proper use of agrochemicals and appropriate agricultural techniques in order to reduce input costs, maximize outputs, and maintain soil health. Our crop advisers are doing precisely that in the field, using various media such as farmer meetings, demonstrations, and field days to offer the correct knowledge for better agricultural methods. We continued this digitally during the pandemic lockdown time and assisted over seven lakh farmers last year,” said Rajesh Aggarwal, IIL's Managing Director, in a statement.
The company would reach more than 25 lakh farmers across the country.
Budgetary Performance
On Thursday, IIL shares were trading in the green, slightly higher on the BSE at Rs 762.55. The firm recorded a 44 percent increase in net profit for the June quarter of current fiscal year, to Rs 34.71 crore, compared to Rs 24.08 crore in the same period previous year. Revenues for the June quarter increased by 14% to Rs 468.26 crore, compared to Rs 409.60 crore in the same quarter previous year.
“Prior to the pandemic, specialists could visit to farms and provide them with guidance as needed. With the pandemic prompting lockdowns, we devised a plan for crop advisers to reach out to farmers through physical and digital meetings, as well as telephoning and WhatsApp, to protect them from making mistakes that may be harmful to their health and that of their crops. Our crop consultants raised awareness and advised farmers on how to get a higher yield with less waste. We're getting a lot of positive feedback from the market as well,” said Sanjay Singh, IIL's General Manager of Market Development.
