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ADM, Bayer to quadruple soybean farmer outreach to 1 lakh in Maharashtra
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Tuesday, 06 January, 2026, 13 : 00 PM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Global agribusiness major ADM and life sciences company Bayer have announced a three-year extension of their partnership to strengthen sustainable soybean farming in Maharashtra, expanding the programme’s reach fourfold to 100,000 farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
Building on the success of the initiative launched in 2022, the expanded programme will scale soybean cultivation from 35,000 hectares to 200,000 hectares over the next three years. The geographic footprint will also widen from three districts Latur, Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) and Beed—to seven districts, with the addition of Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli and Solapur.
The ADM–Bayer partnership had already met its initial targets, reaching 25,000 farmers by May 2025, and established a strong foundation for sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices in the region.
The programme is anchored in the ProTerra Foundation’s sustainability framework, focusing on five critical pillars of responsible supply chains: customised production management, biodiversity-focused crop protection, programme monitoring, crop documentation, and post-harvest pest management.
As part of capacity-building efforts, Bayer has led extensive in-person and digital training programmes on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), biodiversity and sustainability. These initiatives include model demonstration plots, large-scale outreach campaigns, and engagement with over 58,000 farmers through audio bridge calls focused on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Hundreds of pre-sowing and crop-management camps have also been conducted across project districts, with select farmers undergoing advanced BayGAP training aligned with global benchmarks.
In parallel, ADM’s cluster agronomist teams receive continuous training on crop cultivation, nutrient management, pesticide use and GAP, enabling them to guide farmers in adopting sustainable practices while ensuring economic viability.
ADM has also leveraged its pan-India network across origination, oilseed processing, commodities trading, and nutrition, supported by over 50 Krishi Vikas Kendras, to deepen on-ground engagement with farming communities.
Commenting on the extension, Amrendra Mishra, managing director – Ag services & oilseeds and country manager India, ADM, said the partnership reflects a long-term vision to strengthen food systems and farmer resilience. Simon Wiebusch, country divisional head – crop science division, Bayer (India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka), highlighted the role of purpose-driven collaborations in advancing sustainable, future-ready agriculture in India.
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