Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and CEO of India’s second largest tractor manufacturer, TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, announced the setting up of a Centre of Excellence – ‘JFarm Rajasthan’ with the co-operation and support of the Rajasthan Government at the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) 2016.
JFarm in Rajasthan is an advanced model of TAFE’s successful adaptive agri-research centre in Chennai which focuses on sustainable agriculture, adapting existing technologies in farming for local farming conditions and sharing this knowledge with farmers. Spread over 50 acres of land, JFarm Rajasthan will host an adaptive research farm, farm skills development centre, agricultural extension service and a hi-tech technology demonstration and customer experience centre at Bhawanimandi, Jhalawar.
Speaking at the inauguration, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & CEO, TAFE said, “This center will showcase the latest and best in agronomy and farm practices, latest trends in production, protection and processing of crops, and also the world’s best in terms of showcasing farm mechanization trends and their applicability to India. The center initiates a transformational effort in Rajasthan’s agriculture with participation from the farmers of Rajasthan towards a new tomorrow. TAFE has a special bond with the farmers of Rajasthan as their loyalty has enriched TAFE’s business growth over the last five decades. For us at TAFE, JFarm Rajasthan is a way of giving back to the farmers of Rajasthan who have placed their valuable trust in TAFE and its products. It has been TAFE’s corporate philosophy not to limit ourselves to mere sale of our products but to go beyond and add value to our customers by empowering them to become a vibrant, self-sustaining, and prosperous agri-community”.
She added, “The two initiatives of the Custom Hiring Centres and the Centre of Excellence in the form of JFarm Rajasthan will result in a five year period of an estimated total outlay of Rs. 970 crores in the agri sector of Rajasthan. Through the MoU with the Rajasthan Government, we hope to partner with 900 farmer entrepreneurs, create 4000 jobs, and touch lives of 500,000 farmers positively. ”
JFarm was first established in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 1964 with an objective of improving the wellbeing of farmers by empowering them with advanced farm technologies to increase farm productivity and meet India’s growing food needs. Over the years, JFarm has worked through several challenging situations from limited water availability, to inputs costs to shortage of labour, and has developed a viable and sustainable model that contributes to improved farm productivity and livelihood opportunities.