French global agri-trading firm Louis Dreyfus Company’s Indian unit is taking up a project to improve the productivity of wheat and corn in some parts of the country.

According to Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) India CEO Sumeet Mittal, Banswara in Rajasthan has been targeted for the project. “The idea will be to replace traditional seed varieties with one the local agricultural university is promoting. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is establishing good quality plots for improved cultivation,” he told businessline in an online interaction.

LDC India and ICAR are doing extensive training with farmers on various aspects and ensuring timely availability of fertilizers and other plant protection measures.The Indian unit of the French firm, a leading merchant and processor of agri commodities and goods, is doing a regenerative agri project in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district for cotton. “We are working with more than 15 farmers or households and the total area is about 5,000 hectares,” the LDC India CEO said.

The company, founded about 170 years ago and active in over 100 countries, will help farmers take up drip irrigation in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture. Besides, on-field demonstrations will be held and it will supply critical inputs such as vermicomposting units, he said.

LDC India, which has been functioning since the 1950s, has launched a sustainability programme in coffee. It started a responsible sourcing programme to certify and verify over 300 farmers, who produce 4,000 tonnes of coffee. The programme is based on ethics and sustainability standards the company implements for coffee supplies globally, Mittal said.“We’re supporting over 1,500 farmers in coffee to improve their soil fertility. At the group level in coffee, we are working with Nestle and Fairtrade. By 2027, we will purchase 32,000 tonnes of responsibly sourced coffee. Most of our projects are carried under corporate social responsibility programmes,” he said, adding that the company is looking to extend its reach further with farmers next year.

LDC India also executes various projects through Louis Dreyfus Foundation among which is a project to empower women in Rajasthan.“We embarked on the project in 2020 with the Louis Dreyfus Foundation joining hands with the Centre for Microfinance in Rajasthan’s Tonk district. This is to enhance food security and cash incomes for women and smallholder farmers,” the company’s CEO said.

In this programme, several self-help groups of 10-20 women each have been created. They receive training in financial literacy and are provided access to credit through microfinance channels. “Certain” agricultural knowledge is imparted to improve their skills with focus on low-cost organic farming, said Mittal.