Garment exporter Pratibha Syntex has won Jaivik India Award in the direct farmer linkage category for its farming initiative Vasudha Organic. The award was given by International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture in New Delhi recently.
“The Vasudha team is working with farmers to develop innovative multi-cropping system for both seasons, which have potential to substantially increase the per acre income. This not only has a positive economic impact but also enhances biodiversity and efficient utilization of water and other resources.” – Shreyaskar Chaudhary, Managing Director, Pratibha Syntex
The company has kept farmers and their well-being at the centre of the development.
“We aim at increasing farmers’ income four times by 2020. In a bid to attain the target, we have implemented strategic and technical interventions in farming practices, which have turned out to be a boon for the farming community.” – Shreyaskar Chaudhary, Managing Director, Pratibha Syntex
The garment exporter identifies sustainability as its core strategy.
Chaudhary further added, “When Pratibha Syntex commenced Vasudha initiative, the main problem was farmers’ total dependency on chemical inputs. To convert them to organic, there was a grave need of creating awareness and training. So, we established training modules and organized workshops for farmers at various places.”
The company gradually used technology and incorporated social media in its training modules. Pratibha has been making videos on various agriculture techniques and sharing it on YouTube and WhatsApp, besides sending audio messages to farmers through mobile.
Vasudha Organic has developed local input production centres in 5 villages. The company has started creating a market linkage for the non-cotton organic produce of farmers, which will provide a holistic and one-point solution to the farmers, besides getting the right price.