Indian Potash Limited (IPL) and UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions Limited (UPL SAS) have signed a three-year collaboration agreement to promote sustainable sugarcane cultivation in the catchment area of IPL’s Kodinar Sugar Mill in Gujarat.
The partnership aims to improve sugarcane productivity, encourage regenerative agriculture, and enhance farmer livelihoods by implementing advanced agronomic practices across approximately 2,000 acres of sugarcane cultivation.
Focus on Productivity and Sustainability
The joint initiative will introduce regenerative farming practices, scientific agronomy, crop protection, nutrition management, digital technologies, and farmer capacity-building programmes to improve farm productivity and resource efficiency.
According to the companies, the programme targets a minimum 15% increase in sugarcane yields while supporting climate-smart agriculture and improving farm profitability.
Digital Agriculture and Farmer Engagement
As part of the collaboration, UPL SAS will appoint a dedicated Programme Officer to oversee field implementation and farmer engagement.
The project will focus on optimising:
- Seed selection
- Soil health management
- Water use efficiency
- Fertiliser application
- Crop protection
- Crop residue management
- Plant nutrition
Farmer services will also be digitised through the nurture.farm platform, enabling:
- Farmer onboarding
- Geofencing of farms
- Monitoring of field interventions
- Impact assessment and documentation
Digital communication through WhatsApp and YouTube will further support farmer training and knowledge dissemination.
Expected Benefits
The collaboration is expected to deliver benefits across the sugar value chain, including:
- Improved sugarcane productivity and cane availability
- Higher utilisation of IPL’s Kodinar Sugar Mill crushing capacity
- Increased farmer income through Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) and regenerative agriculture
- Reduced consumption of water, fertilisers, and energy
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions
- Progress towards the sustainability and climate commitments of both organisations
Leadership Perspectives
Dr. U. S. Teotia, Chief Agricultural Scientist, Indian Potash Limited, said the collaboration would strengthen farmer engagement, improve sugarcane productivity, and support the long-term competitiveness of Kodinar Sugar operations through scientific agronomy, digital monitoring, and regenerative farming.
Harshal Sonawane, Head – Sustainability, UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions Limited, said the partnership reflects UPL’s commitment to building resilient agricultural value chains by combining science-based agronomy, digital tools, regenerative agriculture, and farmer-centric solutions to improve productivity, profitability, and environmental outcomes.
Supporting India’s Sustainability Goals
The programme will include one-on-one advisory services, farmer meetings, training sessions, demonstration plots, field days, and harvest events to encourage the adoption of recommended agricultural practices.
Both organisations will jointly monitor implementation and measure outcomes throughout the three-year project, with the objective of creating a scalable model for sustainable sugarcane cultivation that supports India’s agricultural sustainability and climate goals.
