The founding members of the Pragati project for sustainable castor crop, which include Arkema, BASF SE, Jayant Agro-Organics as well as implementation partner Solidaridad, have finalised and published the results of the fifth year of the programme.
Through the initiative, 5,800 farmers have been trained, audited, and certified, while 36,000 tons of certified castor seed have been cultivated. This represents 27% more farmers and 50% more certified castor seed than the previous year.
Additionally, yield has improved more than 35% versus comparable yield published by local government in the region for 2020-2021, the companies say.
Through the programme, more than 13,300 hectares are now being farmed in accordance with the SuCCESS sustainable castor code, and approximately 6300 safety kits and crop protection product boxes have been distributed free of charge.
Where accurate measurement and control is in place, water consumption has been lowered by approximately 35%.
Farmers from more than 69 villages in North Gujarat now participate in the programme.
“With our joint efforts in this program, we support the sustainable production of castor beans to establish sustainable supply chains that amongst others increase the yields and income of the farmers,” said Karin Wagner, who is responsible for castor oil and derivatives procurement at BASF.
The farmer safety kits are provided by BASF. They include disposable respirators, safety glasses and gloves, as well as picture-based instructions that show where, when and how to use each personal protection item, along with instructions on how to handle chemicals safely.
The Pragati project was launched in May 2016 with the goal of enabling sustainable castor crop production through better agricultural practices, efficient water usage, good waste management as well as better health and safety practices.