Spurred by the response from farmers to Mahadhan Saarathie, a crop and soil advisory service, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation (DFPCL) is gearing up to enter the business of procuring agricultural produce for the fast expanding retail sector in the country.Shailesh Mehta, managing director, DFPC said after the company's annual general meeting today that the company has decided to provide market linkages to members of Mahadhan Saarrthie initiative by helping them export to the world markets and also procuring their produce to supply to big retail chains such as Reliance Fresh.The Mahadhan Saarrthie initiative involves setting up of farm advisory centres that help farmers understand the soil charactersistics of their land and also prescribe the right kind and dose of fertilisers. Mehta said the company's pilot projects, started in Maharshtra state last year, are evoking encouraging response, and the company has been succesful in getting the farmers' produce picked by a few exporters for the world market. "We have acquired the capability to certify the produce - mainly fruit and vegetables - Euro GAP compliant, which has worked in favour of the farmers," he added. DFPC has posted net profit of Rs 22.58 crore for the first quarter of the current year, down 9%, as against Rs 24.79 crore in the previous corresponding quarter for 2006-07. Net sales moved up 32% to Rs 219.79 crore from Rs 166.67 crore in Q1FY07.
