IFFCO and its Japanese joint venture partner, Mitsubishi Corporation, on Wednesday rolled out 18 chemical fertilisers such as pesticides, fungicides and weedicides, which will be made available to farmers from the upcoming rabi season. Last month IFFCO and Mitsubishi announced their tie-up for manufacture and sale of chemical fertilisers in India.
It is a Rs.25 crore joint venture with 51:49 per cent stake holding between IFFCO and Mitsubishi. The roll out will be from this rabi at ‘reasonable price’ but with no subsidy component.
Speaking to The Hindu , Chairman and Managing Director of Mitsubishi Corporation India, Masakazu Sakakida said “We are keen to enter into relationship with farmers in poor villages. We will do procurement for domestic and international market.”
“Our aim is to control the market against spurious production in the next three to four years,” IFFCO Managing-Director M.S. Awasthi said at the launch.
He said the distribution of fertilisers under IFFCO-MC Crop Sciences will be accompanied by extension services to farmers which will make them aware about how much to use and when to use.
“What we are trying is that quality of these agrochemical products should be such that farmers should have same trust as they have for our fertiliser products.”
The joint venture will target potato, paddy, sugarcane and wheat from this season in 10 states, said A. Ray, Managing Director of IFFCO-Mitsubishi. IFFCO will source agrochemicals from the Japanese firm and it will be sold through its member cooperatives across India.
