In collaboration with the agriculture division of the Maharashtra state government, the agricultural sciences company FMC India today (1 Sep) began the third year of its safety awareness and stewardship campaign surrounding pesticide usage for the farming community in the Indian district of Akola.
The campaign this year expands on a project FMC India launched in Akola in 2020 to encourage the use of safe agricultural practices in an effort to reduce the number of unintentional poisoning incidents among farmers.
Ravi Annavarapu, President of FMC India, elaborated on the awareness campaign by saying, "FMC is highly involved in the welfare of the agricultural community in India. As a result, for many years, we have been educating farmers about secure and long-term farming techniques. We expect that this year's scheme will scale up to new heights and reach an even bigger farmer community to increase their awareness and understanding. In 2021, our campaign reached 7,500 farmers in the various communities within Akola.”
In support of the campaign, FMC India organizes farmer meetings and informational sessions on the proper use of pesticides in various crop seasons and crop varieties in conjunction with the government's agriculture department, health department, and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Indian agricultural extension centers). To guarantee that education sessions are provided among many communities and farmers throughout Akola, mobile vans are mass-mobilized.
The launch of this year's campaign was attended by distinguished guests such as Akola District CEO Saurabh Katiyar, Akola District Zila Parishad President Pratibhatai Bhojane, Additional CEO Dr. Saurabh Pawar, Akola District Superintendent of Agriculture Mr. Aaarif Shah, former Zila Parishad President Mrs. Pushpatai Ingale, Akola District Agriculture Development Officer Mr. Muralidhar Ingale, District Quality Controller Milind Janjal, along with FMC India’s Area Marketing Manager Mr. Hiraman Mandal.
Through initiatives and outreach projects like Project Samarth (Safe Water Initiative), UGAM (promotion of appropriate soil health practices), and Project Madhushakti(collaboration with GB Pant University to develop entrepreneurship among rural women through beekeeping, FMC India has a long history of helping the farming community.
