Bayer partners with Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium to form 50 Specialized Farmer Producer Organizations

As part of the Central Sector Scheme for formation and promotion of 10,000 Farmers' Producer Organizations, this partnership will focus on Agri-Value Chain cluster development, helping accelerate collectivization of small holder farmers

 by Priya J

Bengaluru, September 30, 2022: Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and Bayer CropScience Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form and promote 50 specialized Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

In collaboration with SFAC, Bayer CropScience Limited has identified clusters in 10 states and will aim to assist smallholder farmers with business planning, identification of key enablers, creation of market linkages and knowledge transfer, while working to establish 50 Farmer Producer Organizations.

SFAC’s partnership with Bayer CropScience Limited will help strengthen grower collectivization and support farmer collectives to evolve as profitable and self-reliant business entities. Bayer CropScience Limited is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies providing sustainable farming solutions and has conceptualized an initiative with key value chain partners to build capacities of FPOs in India.

SFAC has emphasised the importance of collectivisation and FPOs important role in it. FPOs play a big role in building socio-economic resilience of the farmers, leveraging economies of scale in production and marketing. Value Chain organisations like Bayer has an important role to play in achieving the project’s objective. Its vast experience and outreach will certainly benefit the ultimate primary stakeholder.

Speaking on this milestone occasion, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head - Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “India is a nation of smallholder farmers. Collectivization in the form of a vibrant and strong network of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will not only improve farmers' incomes but also supports the building up of a robust food value chain network to aid India’s food security, supporting food quality improvements and export potential. We as Bayer, are grateful to the Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) for giving us this opportunity of forming 50 FPOs. It brings to life and makes tangible our global commitment of empowering 100 million smallholder farmers by 2030 and providing them necessary resources to enhance their productivity and livelihoods and at the same time also contribute to the development of the Indian agricultural ecosystem.”

The MoU is aligned towards achieving the goal of the Central Sector Scheme launched by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India (“DA&FW”) of forming and promoting 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations.

About SFAC: Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is an Autonomous Society promoted by Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. It was registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 on 18th January 1994.

The Society is governed by Board of Management which is chaired, ex-officio, by Hon’ble Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as the President and the Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, is the ex-officio Vice-President.

It is the nodal agency of Central Sector Scheme titled "Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs)" with a clear strategy and committed resources to form and promote 10,000 new FPOs in the country.

About Bayer: Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and ageing global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com