Corteva introduces crop protection program for paddy farmers in India

Corteva Agriscience has introduced ‘Udayan – Tarakki ka Naya Savera’- an integrated farmer engagement program for the farmers in India. Udayan program is focused to establish and nurture relationship with Corteva’s customers and channel partners. Aimed at empowering the farmers and bringing prosperity to them, the program focuses on 3As – Aware, Alert, Act, as an enabler of change. The program defines clear milestones to cover all phases of the rice growing cycle from pre-sowing to harvesting. It further aims to create awareness and sensitize rice farmers on brown plant hoppers (BPH) menace, timely and effective usage of Pexalon, a science-based and sustainable solution to manage the BPH menace, thus increasing yield productivity by 10%.

An industry-first initiative, Corteva has introduced a content-first and customer centric communication and technological solution to engage existing users of Pexalon, onboard new users, and unite rice farmers across India in their fight against BPH infestation. With the help of ‘Farmer Connect App’, farmers can scan unique QR codes printed on Corteva products to distinguish between a ‘genuine Pexalon product’ against counterfeit, engage with fellow rice farmers and encourage others to use Pexalon.

In a span of 4 months since the launch of Udayan program, Corteva brought more than 10 lakh acre farmland under the various crop protection and care. More than 1.13 lakh farmers stayed connected through the app, and thousands of field photos were shared. Lakhs of farmers interacted on social media and learnt to use better crop protection products.

This program was amplified by building a robust campaign ecosystem connecting all our on-ground activities with our digital program via the Farmer Connect app. All delivered through an elaborate, and phased content marketing campaign adapted in regional languages cutting across boundaries, demographic and psychographic at every step, across our marketing channels.

Commenting on the program, Gurpreet Bhathal, Marketing Director, Corteva Agriscience South Asia said “Corteva is committed to working towards developing technology-driven solutions to meet farmers’ needs today while anticipating tomorrow’s challenges. We aim to provide products and services to help farmers produce what our food system demands while conserving resources and sustaining the land. In line with this commitment, our ‘Udayan’ program focuses on educating the farmer community to use sustainable crop protection products that empower growers, protect their crop with precision.”

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 40% of food crops are lost due to plant pests and diseases annually. One of the major reasons is the low use of crop protection. In India, rice farmers have been grappling with decreased crop productivity, quality, and quantity of the yield due to pest attacks, especially the ‘Brown Plant Hopper (BPH), which reduces the output from anywhere between 30% and 70%. Through Udayan Program, Corteva aims at harmonizing ecological, economic and social aspects in a holistic way, and ensuring benefit to the rice growers and the agricultural land.