Initiative aims to benefit over 8,000 smallholder dairy farmers across 140+ villages in Ahilya nagar through last-mile mobile veterinary services, AI-powered Advisory App Farmer Chat, capability building trainings
Building on its work with dairy farmers and partners to strengthen India’s rural economy and livestock ecosystem, Cargill today announced the launch of an Integrated Dairy Development Initiative in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district in partnership with Syngenta Foundation India and Digital Green India. The program was inaugurated in Mumbai Mantralaya today by Smt. Pankaja Munde, Honorable Minister of Animal Husbandry, Environment & Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra, Guest of Honour, Shri N. Ramaswamy, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries, Government of Maharashtra along with partners and farmers joining on ground in Ahilyanagar.
With an investment of over INR 2.3 crores over the next two years as part of Cargill’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts, the initiative will first be rolled out across Ahilyanagar district (before expanding to other districts) and aims to improve livestock health, dairy productivity, and farmer resilience for more than 3,000 farmers through Pashu Arogya Mitra (Mobile Veterinary Van) in 26 villages of Rahuri, Rahata and Shrirampur districts of Ahilyanagar. Additionally, initiative will also provide AI-powered digital advisory services, and farmer capability building for 5,000 farmers directly across 120 villages. The initiative comes at a time when India is increasingly focused on strengthening livestock productivity, expanding veterinary access, accelerating digital agriculture adoption, and improving income resilience for dairy-dependent rural households. Animal husbandry continues to be one of the largest contributors to agricultural GDP and a critical source of supplementary income for millions of farmers across the country.
Speaking at the program launch, Smt. Pankaja Munde, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Environment & Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra said “Strengthening the rural economy and increasing farmers’ income is a key priority of the state government. Animal husbandry and dairying are important pillars of rural development and need to be better facilitated by effective use of technology, artificial intelligence-based guidance and accessible veterinary services. This joint initiative of Cargill, Syngenta Foundation India and Digital Green India will contribute to the modernization of the livestock sector, women empowerment and sustainable rural livelihoods. I am confident that this initiative will benefit thousands of dairy farmers across Maharashtra and will accelerate our goals of ‘Developed Maharashtra and Developed India”
