Orchardly and Bayer announce partnership in apple sector in Kashmir

13 July 2022

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Srinagar, July 13, 2022: In a move to facilitate greater modernization of India’s apple value chain, Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture is partnering with Kashmir’s Fruitbee Agritech Private Limited (Orchardly), a pioneer in the apple supply chain industry having the trust of apple growers over the last 40 years, in horticulture sector.

Speaking at an event organised in Srinagar for the signing of the agreement, the company representatives said that the move was designed to improve smallholder apple growers’ productivity and income.

Fruitbee Agritech drives with the vision “People-not-profits, we are growers first” providing complete
farm-to-fork solutions with their modern state-of-the-art climate-controlled storage and logistics
services with a capacity of 15,000 metric tonnes, an official said.

The collaboration will support over 10,000 apple smallholders with better access to ecologically
sustainable agri-inputs, agronomic advisory, Frutibee Agritech’s technical expertise and market linkages to enhance their farm profitability and income, a statement later issued by the company to Ziraat Times said.

Further, project farmers will receive a customized schedule of crop management for Apple and other crops through Bayer that will help establish early warning systems to safeguard apple crop against diseases, pests, and adverse weather.

Speaking about Bayer’s role in the collaboration, Ajeet Chahal, Lead – Commercial Key Accounts
and Alternate Business Models, Bayer Crop Science Limited said, “we are looking at targeted
interventions for smallholder apple growers such as integrated crop management solutions with a focus on high-density plantations and other food value-chain interventions to improve grower’s productivity and quality of apples in line with the consumer requirements.”

Uzair Javaid, Fruitbee Agritech Private Limited (Orchadly) said, “we are pleased to join hands with Bayer Crop Science for sustainability in the food value chain. This will pave way for a strong foundation for providing optimal resources to farmers and helping them with modern agricultural practices.”

About Bayer – a company profile

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to
master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros.