Shillong, Aug 28: ICICI Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of ICICI Bank, has rolled out an extensive agricultural programme in Umling block of RiBhoi district to enhance crop productivity and farmer incomes.
The initiative directly benefits over 310 farmers, tackling long-standing issues of low yields, soil erosion, outdated practices and limited access to quality planting material.
As part of the support, the foundation has distributed 12.6 lakh healthy pineapple saplings, 1.38 lakh kilograms of ginger seeds and 49,350 kilograms of turmeric seeds. Training on modern and sustainable cultivation techniques, suited to the region’s high rainfall, is also underway, a press statement said.
“Already, cultivated land has expanded by 10 per cent across 35 villages, with 300 acres now under pineapple farming. Productivity is projected to double to 9,000 kilograms per acre, potentially raising farmer earnings by around Rs 1.20 lakh per acre annually,” ICICI said.
Stating that spice cultivation is also gaining momentum, with 871 farmers engaged in ginger and turmeric farming on nearly 458 acres combined, the ICICI said the programme promotes inter-cropping, sustainable farming methods, and collective marketing through Farmer Producer Groups, aiming to create long-term processing and storage infrastructure.
