In a bid to help farmers and landowners adopt precision farming technologies, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd has started offering turn-key solutions, which will not only help them deal with challenges like labour shortage, but also provide forward market linkages. Focus crops under such turn-key projects would be the high value medicinal and horticulture crops, where IFFCO Kisan would help growers connect with the buyers.

Morup Namgail, Head, AgriTech, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd, said the idea behind such turn-key projects is to help landowners adopt technology to boost production and yields to make their farming operations more sustainable. Recently, the company has signed up a 50-acre project near Chennai to grow lemongrass and other medicinal plans and on a turn-key basis, Namgail said without disclosing specific details.

IFFCO Kisan, a subsidiary joint venture of fertiliser major IFFCO with Bharti Airtel and Star Global Resources, is also implementing turn-key projects near Mathura and in Bijnore, Uttar Pradesh. “For this season, we have six more projects in the pipeline with an area exceeding 50 acres,” Namgail said.

Revenue models

Under the turn-key projects, IFFCO Kisan is exploring various revenue models depending on the size of the project and the type of the crop to be grown among other factors. “We expect the landowner and the client to share the investments, which would vary depending on the nature and the size of the projects,” Namgail said.

IFFCO Kisan will pitch in with resources from agri stand point of view and on ground services including local labour and farm machinery among others. While turn-key projects can be implemented on a minimum land size of five acres, but the company feels 10 acres would be ideal for such projects.

“We are looking at various options. We will come with agriculture expertise and blend of technology to ensure that the production is good, the yields increase and in the process have decent data about the farm that should help diversify in the future,” Namgail said.

IFFCO Kisan has built a core team of agri-graduates with experience of farming practices for project management, while it would depend on local labour to implement the project. Such turn-key arrangement would work for farmers or land owners who have left their lands fallow or unable to concentrate fully on farming or not getting better yields for lack of technology adoption among other reasons, he said.

Smart farming

Under its Smart Farming vertical, IFFCO Kisan, besides facilitating contract farming between farmer/farmer producer organisations with the processing industry, is also helping them adopt smart agri practices through deployment of technology. From geo-fencing of farms to automated drip irrigation system to installing weather sensors as well as sensors for leaf wetness and soil moisture, IFFCO Kisan is helping farmers adopt modern technology to grow more and grow better. The company has over 500 acres under the smart farm project across the country, Namgail said.

IFFCO Kisan has recently have partnered with SVC Industries and is in the process of setting up a 20-acre “Smart Research Development and Training Demo Farm” in Uttar Pradesh.

IFFCO Kisan sees a big potential in the agri-services segment. “We see a huge scope for the medicinal plant and horticulture crops as the industry is looking for such initiative...There’s a lot of traction,” he added.

Besides smart famring and agritech solutions, IFFCO Kisan also has a presence in the cattle feed business, telecom and call centre services. The company had clocked a revenue of close to ₹600 crore during 2020-21.

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