Nashik: focussing on improving crop yield and farmers’ income, Syngenta India, a leading Swiss-based agri-science and seed technology company, on Tuesday, announced the launch of SapRaise, a smart seedling solution which promises to bring about transformative change in the agricultural sector in Maharashtra and create a high-tech resource of quality vegetable seedlings for the farmers of Nashik and Pune. Nashik is a leader in horticulture, contains Asia’s biggest Tomato mandi, grows tomato on 80,000 acres, cauliflower on 30,000 acres, watermelon on 2,500 acres and capsicum and hot-pepper on 10,000 acres, and would benefit from the SapRaise initiative and get high yielding crop seedling solutions round the year.
The debut of SapRaise Nursery in collaboration with OM Gayatri Global Seedlings marks a significant milestone in agricultural innovation in Nashik and Pune districts. This hi-tech nursery will act as a centre of excellence in seedlings production and is an outcome of the company’s partnership with Syngenta’s Young Plant Raisers (YPR).
Susheel Kumar, MD and Country Head, Syngenta India, said, “Through this partnership, we aim to set new standards in seedling production by demonstrating advanced seedling development through collaborative business models with existing YPR partnership. SapRaise smart seedlings solution highlights Syngenta’s commitment to enhancing the quality and profitability of our growers through shared knowledge and cutting-edge seedling technology”.
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“We all know that Nashik and Pune farmers are well versed with scientific solutions, they are aware and innovative in adopting farming solutions, I am certain our initiative would benefit the farmers here”, Susheel added.
SapRaise support is designed to nurture early crop establishment for a large number of vegetable farmers in Nashik and Pune, which is crucial for enhanced crop quality and yield potential. “Our Excellence Centre will provide growers with high-quality, healthy seedlings, ensuring that they have the best possible beginning to achieve superior crop yields and enhanced income”, informed Susheel. Nashik initiative has been launched on a pilot basis, Syngenta India plans to later expand the SapRaise Excellence Centre across the country, aiming to benefit farmers from all states.
In addition to boosting business quality, the Excellence Centre will extend the sales reach of existing YPR partners, enabling growers in untapped and new geographical areas to access the best quality seedlings. This expansion will ensure that more farmers can benefit from modern agricultural practices.
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SapRaise aims to set a new standard for seedling quality and agricultural innovation as a model initiative for Maharashtra. “Our collaboration with OM Gayatri Global and our YPR partners through the Excellence Centre will transform the agricultural landscape by providing farmers with the tools and resources they need to succeed,” said Sanjay Kumar Singh, Territory Business Head, Vegetable Seeds, South Asia.
The launch event featured demonstrations of Syngenta SapRaise smart seedling solution and opportunities for farmers to learn directly from experts in seedling technology. This initiative was attended by over 300 farmers from Nashik and Pune, key leaders from Syngenta including Sanjay Kumar Singh; Meenal Maheshwari, Head, Finance; Vinod Shivrain, Head, Crop Protection Development; Madhavanand Kashid, Head (Production and Supplies) and team from OM Gayatri Nursery.
