14 September 2023, New Delhi: Mankind Agritech Pvt. Ltd has entered into a strategic partnership with the Agri-Business Division of ITC Limited to empower the Indian farming community with technology-enabled high-quality sustainable agricultural solutions. This partnership is aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity, support farmers’ livelihoods, and helping strengthen the nation’s agricultural sector.
Mankind Agritech will collaborate closely with ITC’s MAARS initiative, an innovative “phygital” ecosystem combining physical and digital solutions to empower farmers. ITCMAARS delivers a diverse range of crop-agnostic hyperlocal services, enabling farmers to boost their incomes and adopt environmentally sustainable practices. This partnership offers ITC a competitive edge in the agritech market, providing farmers with a more comprehensive and effective suite of agricultural solutions, ultimately enhancing their productivity and profitability. The collaboration between the two companies is dedicated to empowering farmers, focusing on improving productivity, reducing costs, and mitigating risks through access to Mankind’s cutting-edge technologies.
This strategic collaboration would enrich the Indian agri spectrum by leveraging Mankind’s prowess and expertise in agricultural inputs. Additionally, it fosters demand-responsive value chains and promotes climate-smart agriculture digitally empowering farmers.
Speaking about this partnership, Mr. Partha Sengupta, President of Mankind Agritech said, “We are very proud and delighted to announce this strategic partnership in agriculture with one of India’s major conglomerates – ITC Limited, which has been a pioneer in the field of farmer empowerment. By conducting on-ground collaborative team activities and showcasing product performance through demonstrations and consultation services, this initiative aims to bridge the gap between the Indian agrarian community and their advisory needs with regard to the latest sustainable agri-input solutions that also address environmental concerns.”
Mr. Sengupta further added, “Weedicides, insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators, and biologicals are just a few of the cutting-edge crop care solutions that Mankind Agritech will provide to Indian agriculturists, enabling them to maximize their produce while ensuring easy accessibility to world-class quality products at affordable Indian prices.”.
Mr Rajnikant Rai, Divisional Chief Executive, Agri Business Division, ITC said, “The ITCMAARS ‘Phygital’ model encompasses physical engagement on the ground with FPOs as the pivot, whilst bringing the power of digital technologies to farmers in the form of a super app and offerings. It also enables the delivery of high-quality products such as farm inputs to the farmers right at the village level through partnerships with leading Inputs companies. The platform is also building an ecosystem for new age AgTech startups to ‘Plug and Scale’. ITCMAARS aims to progressively cover as many as 4,000 FPOs, empowering 10 million Indian farmers by 2030.”
“This partnership between Mankind Agritech and ITC is yet another important step towards ITC’s vision to usher in Next Generation Agriculture and ensure that Indian farmers have access to the best in class sustainable agri-input solutions right at their doorstep.” Mr Rai added.
