Change management for safety in manufacturing supply chains will boost Indian agrochemical industry: CropLife India

CropLife India and FICCI jointly organized a Webinar on “The Importance of Safety in Manufacturing: Indian Crop Protection Industry”; Operation and Execution of Production Change Management. The Chief Guest on this occasion was Shri Samir Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary (Chemicals), Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India.

Shri Samir Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary (Chemicals), Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India said that Keeping in the backdrop recent unfortunate incidents, the webinar is aptly timed; as it will dwell upon the self-assessment of safety of the manufacturing facilities. Agrochemical industry contributes heavily towards the food security and provides employment to a large workforce and has been a Champion Sector as of its exports, next only to the pharmaceutical industry; which has been receiving its due share of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ while removing bottlenecks and progressive regulatory measures to safeguard the environment.   

Mr. R. G. Agarwal, Chairman FICCI - Crop Protection Committee and Group Chairman, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd. said that, "Agrochemical industry might be small but has colossal impact on the food security of the nation. Although IT systems have helped evolve the Safety of the Agrochemical plants; Skill enhancement and continuous training of the workforce, both by the Government and the industry are the needs of the hour, which would further elevate the levels of safety in the industry."

Mr. Asitava Sen, Chief Executive Officer, CropLife India said, “Agrochemicals have been identified as one of the champion sectors where India has the potential to become a major global supply hub. The cross-industry discussions have highlighted the diversity of implementation practices in industry towards safety and the challenges encountered in implementing and maintaining effective Management of Change programs; and has served as a platform for sharing evolving best practices.”

The Webinar witnessed the Release of FICCI Compendium on COVID Relief Initiatives of the Crop Protection Industry.

During the Panel Discussion 1: Risk Awareness, Safety takeaways and Pathways to overcome Industrial Challenges, panellists discussed issues related to Policy and Governance; Operational practices; Internal and External Environment and Resources. The deliberations were done at a Strategic level - encapsulating the National Industrial perspective; Operational level - Driving Safety in Operations and the Safety takeaway; enumerating the global point of views. Views were exchanged on some of the major challenges faced to match the agility of operations demanded during the execution of production change management and how Sustainability initiatives can help the Indian industry build a positive image; across the globe.

The Panellists of the Panel Discussion 2: Potential Strategies for a Way Forward discussed the prospective strategies and role of key stakeholders viz. Regulator, Academia and the Industry. Discussions enhanced governance structure during the times where the world is exploring alternate manufacturing locations revolved around introduction of practical experience in course curriculum, career tracks for process safety professionals with special emphasis on the topic of how best to motivate everyone for taking ownership with putting Safety First and motivating the employee responsible for Safety as no one gets a bonus for not blowing up the plant.

The Webinar observed the participation of eminent speakers both from India and global agrochemical industry.