IFFCO launch new blog to engage with members

The Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative has launched a new blog to better engage with its members. The website – www.iffcolive.com – was designed as an online communication platform between IFFCO and its co-ops.

IFFCO Chief executive, Dr U.S. Awasthi, explained that in the age of technology organisations needed to use multiple communication platforms, which could prove to be a challenge.

“This newly launched blog would aim to get all the messages from IFFCO in one place,” he said. The blog features examples and case studies as well as news articles on what happens across the agricultural sector.

“Here you can browse through various case studies within IFFCO on topics like production, co-operatives, distribution, agriculture best practices etc. You can also read stories on how we are helping to transform rural India and in the process infuse a fresh lease of life in Indian agriculture,” added Dr U.S. Awasthi.

IFFCO has 50 million members from 40,000 co-operatives. With a turnover of USD $5bn, it is the world’s largest fertiliser co-operative federation, supplying fertilisers and services to member co-operatives.

Partnership with Mitsubishi

One of the most popular news stories featured on the new blog has been the announcement of a new partnership between IFFCO and Mitsubishi, who have been working together for years.

The co-operative federation will form a joint venture company with Mitsubishi Corporation in order to manufacture agrochemicals. The initiative will help address demand for quality insecticides, fungicides and weedicides in addition to fertilisers, which IFFCO is supplying to its member co-operatives.

The business, called IFFCO-MC Crop Science Private Limited, was launched on 26 August at IFFCO’s head office in New Delhi. The partnership falls in line with the campaign “Make in India”, a national programme to transform India into a global manufacturing hub launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India’s agrochemicals market was valued at JPY 250bn (£1.3bn) in 2014, accounting for 5% of the global market. IFFCO will own 51% of the new company, with the remaining 49% belonging to Mitsubishi.