Teaching by example - ITC's Choupal Pradarshan Khets

With a mission to improve sustainability of farming practices in rural India, ITC has conceptualized a grass root level extension programme called 'Choupal Pradarshan Khet' (CPK) or demonstration plots, which help wheat farmers to enhance farm productivity & quality by adopting best practices in agriculture. ITC CPK directly benefits over 50,000 wheat farmers.

What happens at Choupal Pradarshan Khets?

ITC constantly transfers technology from lab to farm through Choupal Pradarshan Khet demonstration plots. Customized agri extension services are provided to the farmers with live demonstration of latest technologies and practices they include:

• Region specific package of practices (Eg. Time of sowing, fertilizer recommendation etc) for productivity enhancement and cost management.
• Deployment of organic amendments (compost & manures) to improve soil fertility.
• Introduction of location-specific new and improved seed varieties in collaboration with reputed research organizations such as Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Directorate of Wheat Research, Punjab Agricultural University and Agharkar Research.
• Location specific irrigation scheduling that reduce water consumption.
• Customized fertilizer experiments which reduce inorganic fertilizer consumption.
• Dissemination of Zero till method of sowing wheat in Rabi to enable timely sowing coupled with multiple benefits to farmers - cost savings, water conservation and improved yield.
• Deployment of farm mechanization solutions for addressing labor shortage and ease of operation.

Impact of Choupal Pradarshan Khet:
Besides benefitting over 50,000 wheat farmers, the portfolio of crop covered under the Choupal Pradarshan Khets (CPK) includes soya, paddy, pulses, vegetables and fruits. The initiative covers around 120,000 acres and benefits more than 100,000 farmers with a multiplier effect through its wide-spread adoption.

ITC's strong backward integration programme provides a competitive edge to the Company's Foods Business by sourcing high-quality raw material directly from farmers, preserving the uniqueness along the supply chain and enables manufacturing of Aashirvaad Atta with consumer preferred value traits.