Gram Unnati, India’s fast-growing full-stack agricultural value chain services company, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bayer to promote the cultivation of spring maize in six districts of western Uttar Pradesh.

The six districts covered by the MoU are Amroha, Bareilly, Bulandshahr, Moradabad, Rampur, and Sambhal. More than 100,000 farmers across these districts will benefit from the partnership between Gram Unnati and Bayer CropScience.

As part of the MoU, Indian farmers will be able to access timely crop advisory, transfer of good agricultural practices and access to premium products through Bayer along with support needed to set up model farms. Gram Unnati will facilitate farmer mobilization and ensure market linkages. The MOU aims to replicate the success Gram Unnati and Bayer have achieved by successfully promoting spring maize production in the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand in the past. The project helped farmers significantly improve their incomes and save thousands of litres of water.

“We are excited to work together with Bayer to deliver greater value to small-holder farmers in western UP by offering them a level playing field,” said Aneesh Jain, founder & chief executive officer, Gram Unnati. “This partnership will empower small-holder farmers by providing them access to advisory, quality inputs, credit, technologies, and market linkage. Gram Unnati has deep-rooted connections in these six districts and is already working with International Finance Corporation (IFC) & Government of UP to help convert 20,000 acres from summer paddy to spring maize. This partnership allows Gram Unnati to mobilize larger number of farmers and help them get the right technical & product guidance from Bayer CropScience.”

"At Bayer, we want to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across India. Enhancement in livelihood entails adopting timely advisory and good agricultural practices so that they get can get the right remunerative prices for their produce. However, no company can achieve this ‘access to solutions’ challenge alone as it requires building up a larger ecosystem and meaningful collaborations along the agri-value chain. With Gram Unnati, we aim to enhance our reach to smallholder farmers and offer personalized solutions, enabling them to achieve better harvests more sustainably," said Ajeet Chahal, head of commercial key accounts and alternate business models, Bayer.

The MoU between Gram Unnati and Bayer is a significant step towards promoting sustainable agriculture in India. The partnership will help to improve the livelihoods of small-holder farmers in western UP and will also help to conserve natural resources.