Seeds company Advanta has partnered with nurture.farm to launch the Nutrifeed Germination Scheme, which aims to protect farmers from germination failure of forage crop seeds (Forage Millet Hybrids Nutrifeed). As part of the risk cover, the farmers are compensated if the seeds of the forage crops such as sorghum, millet, and corn do not germinate within 15 days of sowing. Germination failure leads to widespread losses for farmers; thus, this scheme helps bridge essential gaps.

Prashant Belgamwar, Regional Head - Asia & Africa and International Vegetables, Advanta Enterprises Limited said, “Our Hybrid Nutrifeed has set a benchmark for green fodder. Farmers love and value this hybrid due to its immense yield potential, multi-cuts that ensure regular availability of fodder, a very low infestation of pests and diseases, highly nutritious fodder with high protein content and high digestibility, which reduces dependability on concentrates and leads to higher milk production and ultimately more earnings for the farmers.

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By extending the germination risk cover in partnership with nurture.farm, we are giving the confidence to farmers that their risk gets covered if the seed fails to germinate because of environmental stress. He can go ahead with confidence and take strides in his dairy farming. The germination risk cover was born out of our conviction for our product Nutrifeed. We have developed a product that ensures germination by engineering a seed quality that is resistant to weather & environmental changes. Partnering with nurture.farm to offer farmers a germination risk cover scheme is our promise to them of assured germination and minimisingrisk, be it weather, temperature, crop loss, or financial risk.

Vivek Lalan, Head of Insurance at nurture.farmsaid, “India caters to approximately 20 per cent of the world’s livestock population, and forage crops are grown on less than 5 per cent of the entire cultivable land in India. The idea behind the Nutrifeed Germination Scheme is to offer resilience against losses due to adverse weather conditions and protect farmers from germination failure by offering them a risk cover that safeguards them from potential financial losses.

Forage crops prevent soil erosion, boost organic carbon content, give back nitrogen to the soil, and increase soil fertility. Typically, forage crops are used for crop rotation and as fodder for livestock. Forage crops are a critical component of the nutrition management of animals. Therefore, germination of the forage crop and protecting farmers’ interest in case of germination failure becomes critically important.”

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