By Dr U S Awasthi
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!
I would first like to wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous 2016. I hope that the coming year will bring more joy & prosperity in everybody’s Life.
2016 will be a very special year for all of us at IFFCO because on 3rdNovember 2016 we will complete 49 years and will enter the 50th year of our inception &operations. In the ‘half a century’ of IFFCOs’ existence the organization has gone through many ups and downs but the only thing that has been constant and consistent till date is our commitment to our founding principle of serving the Indian farmer and of being the harbinger of change for the Indian Agriculture. To a large extent it’s due to our firmness to this commitment that the humble farmer still places his/her faith in us.
We are today a household name in rural India and a symbol of trust that has been passed down to several generation’s in a farmers’ family. To achieve this level of trust took us a lot of time and a lot of hard work. IFFCO was founded to help the farmer grow food for teeming millions at a time when India was literally surviving on whatever arrived on its shores. Moreover, the visionaries that spearheaded the foundation of IFFCO during the Green revolution wanted to do that by founding an organization that would be professionally run but driven by ‘cooperation’. Today we can proudly say this sound and noble footing gave us the strength and we were able to play a vital role in turning the fortunes around for the Indian farmer and the Indian Agriculture. 50 years later the same country that survived on food imports is today one of the largest exporters of food grains, pulses and fruits.
The IFFCO that was started with just 57 cooperatives but with a lot of grit, determination and faith is today 36,000 cooperative strong and counts amongst the largest fertiliser manufacturers in the world with a multinational and cross industrial footprint. But achieving this landmark shouldn’t make us over-confident or complacent in any way. It is , instead , time when we looked inwards while keeping our eyes wide open to what the future demands and expects from us.
It would be a huge challenge for staying relevant for the next 50 years. The challenges that confront us are many and multi faceted. Some issues related to subsidy regime and its disbursement, soil health, fiscal policy, the global socio-economic upheavals, climate change etc. are external but crucial to our existence. Other issues like transparency, accountability, austerity, reinvention, training and development and communication are internal and most vital to the day-to-day functioning of the organization. We would need to focus and work on these issues so as to reinvent and re-orient ourselves faster to a changing world.
The world is changing at a pace that we haven’t witnessed in the last 50 years. So, it’s very important for all of us to keep upgrading ourselves with the time. Looking at the progress within the organization I am confident that we would be able to come over any kind of change.
Our joint ventures: OMIFCO and IFFCO-TOKIO both completed 10 and 15 years respectively last year and are doing pretty well so is JIFCO that is producing at its peak capacity successfully inspite of being so close to a war zone, the committed brave engineers and employees at JIFCO are working against all odds in making JIFCO a true engineering marvel. Last year, our joint Managing Director, Mr. Rakesh Kapur was elected, as the Vice Chairman of the International Fertiliser Association (IFA) increasing our say in the affairs of the international Fertiliser Industry scene, Mr. Kapur also happens to be the Chairman of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI). On the other hand, the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) also recognized our efforts and in its report titled “World Cooperative Monitor 2015” ranked IFFCO as the No. 1 cooperative amongst the top 300 cooperatives in the world today (GDP per capita basis). Apart from storming into the global board of ICA, our say is increasing in the affairs of ICA as one of the respected cooperatives in the world.
Last year we added another feather to our cap by diversifying into pesticides with Mitsubishi Group of Japan and establishing IFFCO-MC Crop Science Pvt. Ltd.; A true blend of Indian trust with Japanese technical prowess, with IFFCO-MC we aim to transform the pesticide market in India by getting the best quality, environmental friendly products at the best possible price point. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
For our startling efforts by our dedicated workforce IFFCO won various laurels at national and international platforms. Our production and marketing teams won many awards this year in various categories of Production, Energy Saving, Environment Protection, Marketing, Use of ICT in Agriculture, among other things. (Figures will be added )
Lastly, I would like to extend my sincere regards to our Chairman Sh. B.S Nakai, our Vice Chairman Sh. N.P Patel and other distinguished members on the Board of IFFCO for showing the way forward. I am also thankful to Government of India especially the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation along with our Joint Venture partners and our Associates around the world along with their respective Governments for extending valuable support to us from time to time. I would also like to thank the Indian and International Media, our suppliers, bankers and consultants for their valuable support. Above all, I am thankful to all the members of the IFFCO family including the IFFCOs employee union and IFFCO officers Association.I would also like to extend my sincere thanks here to our member cooperatives especially marketing federations and cooperative societies for their cooperation, it was due to them that we could serve around 5 crore farmer members present across the length and breadth of India.