The Hindu Business Line : <I>Proagro offers bonus to cotton growers</I>

Proagro, a company of Bayer CropScience, has felicitated cotton growers and has assured a 5 per cent bonus on the procurement price if they discontinue the use of child labour.

The company has launched Proagro Harvest of Happiness Project which was implemented in cotton seed production fields under its contact with Proagro in 2005.

Mr T. Srinivas Rao, a farmer in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, said: "Progressive farmers in cotton seed production should focus on higher yields and strive to set an example by proactively avoiding the use of child labour in cotton seed production."

According to a statement, he was among farmers felicitated by ProAgro at Gadwala on Sunday. This programme is part of the company's corporate social responsibility programme to encourage growers to refrain from employing children in cottonseed production.

Proagro's Harvest of Happiness Project with its incentives and sanctions for farmers is encouraging many growers to improve their productivity and profitability.

In addition, the Revitalising Education initiative is helping many children by setting up Creative Learning Centres in association with Naandi Foundation.

This is by integrating child labourers from cottonseed farms to the mainstream education system and thereby strive for improvement of school infrastructure in cotton seed villages.

The company felicitated six women growers from project Velugu, a Government of Andhra Pradesh project involving self-help groups.

According to Mr Clive Pegg, Managing Director of Proagro, under the Project Harvest of Happiness: "Proagro pays the farmers a 5 per cent bonus on the procurement price if they discontinue the use of child labour. In the case of breaching of the contract, the bonuses are cancelled and the procurement price cut by 10 per cent."

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