IFFCO’s initiative in farmer's upliftment praiseworthy: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that cooperative major IFFCO's initiatives to train the farming community on right use of fertilisers, advanced techniques and cash-less transactions will help in doubling farmers' income by 2022.

"IFFCO's contribution in the upliftment of farmers and co-operative organisations is praiseworthy," Modi said in a message on the occasion of the cooperative's golden jubilee year.

The cooperative has also played an important role in implementation of urea neem-coating programme rolled out by the government to curb black marketing of urea, the Prime Minister said in his letter to IFFCO managing director U S Awasthi.

Modi praised the organisation for conducting programmes across the country to train farmers and co-operative members about digitisation and cash-less transactions in the agri-sector and right use of soil nutrients, among others.

Stating that the government has fixed a target to double farmers' income by 2022, Modi said that IFFCO's initiatives to connect farmers with best farm techniques would be helpful in achieving this goal.

Founded in 1967 with just 57 cooperatives, IFFCO is today an amalgamation of over 36,000 Indian cooperatives.

On its 50th year, it is conducting training programmes for farmers at 125 locations across the country.

IFFCO posted a turnover of over Rs. 22,500 crore during last fiscal. Its total fertiliser production stood at around 85 lakh tonnes and it sold nearly 110 lakh tonnes last fiscal. The co-operative has five plants in India and three overseas.

Apart from its core business of manufacturing and selling fertilisers, IFFCO is also engaged in general insurance, rural telecom and rural retail businesses.