ADM representative visits ADMI Village

Rishi Shukla, a Global Technology Leader with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), recently had the opportunity to travel to Bihar and visit the ADMI Village.

Shukla’s main objective was to see the village firsthand, view the accomplishments to date and consult on how to scale up the village concept. While at the village, he met research partners and field investigators from Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University and the Borlaug Institute of South Asia.

Shukla returned from Bihar with success stories about the hermetic storage bag subsidy program initiated by ADMI in February. Bags are being distributed at a cost of 20 Indian Rupees per bag, a discount of approximately 80 Rupees. So far, approximately 1,000 farmers are participating in the program, with about 50% participation in the ADMI Village. Farmers are reporting an increased profit of about INR 200 per semester with the use of the hermetic storage bags, as compared to a 275 Rupee loss due to costs associated with pesticides, insecticides, and crop losses.

Profits from the subsidized bag sales go toward purchasing a new pool of bags to distribute to farmers. Additionally, farmers have expressed interest in the STR dryer and are looking forward to having more installed throughout the villages in the region.