Agrochemicals major Insecticides India Ltd (IIL) is set to ramp up its farmer outreach programme from this fiscal and is aiming to train up to four lakh farmers each year through awareness programmes conducted by agri-science experts.

“A majority of farmers remain grossly unaware of the most beneficial agricultural methods. Some still follow subsistence farming and others are not putting the land available to them to the best possible use because they do not have the scientific know-how,” said Rajesh Aggrawal, Managing Director, IIL.

The company is looking to hold 200 farmers meetings and training sessions a year to “reinvent itself” from being just an agro-chemicals manufacturer to being an agricultural think-tank, said a company statement on Monday.

IIL, which expects to grow to ₹1,200 crore this fiscal, had earlier unveiled plans to invest in research and development to produce indigenous molecules at its facility in Chopanki (Rajasthan) where it has partnered with Japanese firm OAT Agrio.

The subjects likely to be addressed through these programmes include alternative sources of boosting farm income, crop rotation practices with a focus on soil quality and water and nutrient management, rainwater harvesting to boost water supply, etc.

One training campaign for soyabean cultivators is underway across 200 villages in Madhya Pradesh.

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