Committed to bridging 'Digital India' with 'Digital Bharat' for farmers: IFFCO chairman

US Awasthi says having spoken to lakhs of farmers from across the country has helped him and IFFCO understand their needs better.

Managing director US Awasthi at the 50th anniversary celebrations of IFFCO's first nutrient manufacturing facility

KALOL: Looking to serve farmers across the country better, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative's (IFFCO) managing director US Awasthi said the fertiliser cooperative major is looking to bridge 'Digital India' with 'Digital Bharat'.

Speaking at the 50th anniversary of IFFCO's first nutrient manufacturing facility here, Awasthi said empowering farmers and enhancing their income remains a top priority. "I've traversed 135,000 kilometres this year and met over 2 lakh farmers at 125 venues across India to understand their needs so that we can serve them better. Our journey begins here. We're committed to bridging 'Digital India' with 'Digital Bharat'," he said, adding that a new digital initiative called the Indian Cooperative Digital Platform now connects 2.5 crore farmers and co-operators.

#50YearsOfIFFCO @drusawasthi recalls the contribution of #IFFCO ‘s first chairman and first managing director. — prasad sanyal (@prasadsanyal) November 3, 2017

Over 1,200 cooperative members from across the nation and invited guests from overseas gathered at Kalol near Ahmedabad which houses the urea unit. The celebrations were marked by performances from Shiamak Davar’s troop and singers Rahul Vaidya and Neeti Mohan.

#IFFCO #50YearsOfIFFCO @neetimohan18 performs at the company’s oldest plant in Kalol pic.twitter.com/IoUFlWDz7P — prasad sanyal (@prasadsanyal) November 3, 2017

IFFCO's vision though was as much a part of the celebration. “We must remain technologically agile. We’ve set our sights on the skies. Our feet are firmly planted on the ground and our hearts remain with farmers, and we will continue to scale new heights," said Awasthi.

IFFCO was founded in 1967 with 57 cooperatives and now has over 36,000 cooperatives under its wing. In his letter to Awasthi in its golden jubilee year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had acknowledged IFFCO's contribution towards the growth of the cooperative sector in the country.