Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a French merchant firm that is involved in agriculture, food processing, international shipping and finance launched ‘Project Jagruthi’ in India, to train and support local cotton farmers in adopting more sustainable farming practices, as part of its commitment to empowering smallholder farming communities – in India and around the world – to improve their livelihoods for the long term.
In a statement, the company informed that as part of the initiative, LDC conducted a series of educational workshops to support cotton farmers in mitigating threats such as pink bollworm and white fly infestations that are affecting cotton crops in India.
During the workshops, specific methods were demonstrated alongside technical advice from experts to help minimise yield losses due to pest outbreaks, thereby increasing production and income. Field demonstrations of measures such as pheromone traps were also conducted.
Sumeet Mittal, LDC’s Head of Cotton for India, said, “LDC is committed to working toward a safe and sustainable future, helping to feed and clothe a growing global population sustainably. Project Jagruthi is a perfect example of what we can do in this regard, and we look forward to ramping up this and other projects to empower India’s smallholder farmers for greater resilience and a more sustainable future.”
