Bayer partners CSC, Gram Unnati for last mile delivery of agri inputs
Bayer has partnered with the Government’s Common Service Centre (CSC-SPV) and agritech start-up Gram Unnati to facilitate last mile delivery of agri inputs to small holder farmers in the country.
The partnership will support farmers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the first phase of execution. Besides access to the entire range of Bayer’s agri-solutions from seed to harvest, farmers can also avail of crop-specific agronomic advisory through CSC’s online platform, Bayer said in a statement.
As part of the MoU, smallholder farmers will be able to access timely crop advisory, transfer of good agricultural practices and access to premium Bayer products through CSC’s online portal. Gram Unnati will facilitate farmer mobilisation and ensure market linkages.
Together, Bayer and CSC-SPV aim to empower over half a million smallholder farmers over the next two years. To facilitate easy access to quality inputs, agronomic support, and encourage agri-technology knowledge transfer based on the latest practices, Bayer will also nurture agri-entrepreneurs by leveraging village-level entrepreneurs of CSCs from within the local communities.
Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, President, Bayer South Asia said, “Our association with the Government of India’s Common Service Center and Gram Unnati will help bring us closer to our shared goal of empowering farmers as we bridge the gap to remote farming communities, promote financial literacy and foster an entrepreneurial spirit leading to optimised resource utilization, and maximising farm potential to enhance their livelihoods sustainably.”
Sanjay Rakesh, MD & CEO, CSC-SPV, said, “We are excited to collaborate with Bayer and strengthen our e-commerce platform to scale support to smallholder farmers through our technology-powered ecosystem. By leveraging our synergies with Bayer, we envision sustained enhancements in rural agriculture within the identified centres. This partnership will enable last mile access to tailored solutions, to better support the rural community and agri-entrepreneurs.”
Aneesh Jain, Founder & CEO, Gram Unnati, said: “We are already developing a system with CSC e-Governance to enable farmers to sell their end produce through the VLE network. This collaboration will enable farmers to get timely access to high quality agri inputs, thus further improving their crop quality and yields too.”