Maha govt inks MoUs with Ruchi Soya, United Phosphorous

The Maharashtra government today signed deals with Ruchi Soya and United Phosphorous as part of its efforts to scale up the Public Private Partnership for Integrated Agriculture Development (PPP-IAD) initiative in the next five years.
Ruchi Soya has decided to enhance its existing Rs 300 crore investment in the state with value chains of soybean and tomato from increasing productivity to processing.
United Phosphorous will upgrade its crop care centres, which work on improving yield and post harvest losses, from existing 10 to 100 in the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters here after attending a round table discussion on opportunities for investments and partnership in the agriculture sector.

Nearly 2.5 lakh soybean farmers and 1.15 lakh tomato growers will be brought under the value chain, he said, adding that Jain Irrigation and Hindustan Unilever have also agreed to invest in the initiative.
Fadnavis said about 40 companies attended today's meeting and they will work with government to set up value chains, adding that the initiative which came up in the state with help of World Economic Forum (WEF) three years ago, would be scaled up and expanded.
He also said the government has decided to scrap the cess levied on purchases made outside the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) and also lifted the ban on stocking of oil seeds.

A pilot project would be undertaken with help of Swiss Re, a reinsurance company, to improve the crop insurance schemes so that actual yields are mapped through satellite images for effective ground assessment.

Currently, crop loss survey is done at circle level, but the government now intends to ensure satellite-based imaging at village level. "In the pilot project, five crops including jawar, cotton would be taken up. It will be entirely satellite-based survey which will zero in to the individual fields," he said.
During the discussion, Fadnavis gave an overview of the interventions being taken by the government for value chain development and said that there was tremendous scope for corporate players in the sector.

He said the government was keen to take help of the private sector to utilise best (agriculture) practices to increase productivity.
The upscaling of existing value chains would include 25 lakh farmers from the existing five lakh and later 50 lakh, the chief minister said.