In Madhya Pradesh, India, farmers like Hari Prasad Verma were struggling to make a living due to poor crop yields and low prices. However, after adopting next-generation agriculture methods, including better seed varieties, soil quality improvement, and sales through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Verma’s income doubled. ITC’s NexGen Agri vision has guided over 32,000 farmers in the state to adopt these technologies. Farmers are also using drones to spray nano urea and advanced irrigation methods to conserve water. The ITC MAARS app provides farmers with personalized solutions, including crop calculators and crop doctors, as well as access to markets, financial services, and weather forecasts. FPOs have also empowered farmers to sell their produce collectively to the highest bidder, resulting in better prices. Women farmers are also benefiting from these initiatives, running FPOs and collection centers in their villages. ITC’s CEO, S Ganesh Kumar, says that over 1.5 million farmers have registered on the ITC MAARS app and are benefiting from the program, which aims to make agriculture profitable and easy for farmers.
