CFCL and TERI partner to establish ‘Centre of Excellence for Advanced and Sustainable Agriculture Solutions’

With the grant-in-aid from CFCL over a period of 5 years, TERI will carry out end-to-end research, and products will be jointly developed to provide biological solutions as a complement to chemical agri-inputs.

Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (CFCL) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) signed an Agreement for research today, to establish the “CFCL-TERI Centre of Excellence for Advanced and Sustainable Agriculture Solutions.” The Agreement was signed by Abhay Baijal, Managing Director, CFCL and Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI.

The Agreement for Research focuses on advancing biogenic innovations to develop efficacious and eco-safe products for crop nutrition and crop protection in order to achieve sustainability in agriculture. With the grant-in-aid from CFCL over a period of 5 years, TERI will carry out end-to-end research, and products will be jointly developed to provide biological solutions as a complement to chemical agri-inputs.

The joint initiative of CFCL and TERI aims to address the pressing challenges in the Indian agriculture sector, such as stagnating agricultural productivity, soil health degradation, poor nutrient use efficiency, reduced response (resistance) to chemicals and negative impact of excessive synthetic inputs on environment and human health, by developing innovative biogenic solutions, such as nano biotechnology based alternative fertilisers, bio-fertilisers, bio-stimulants, and biological control agents and biopesticides which would have no negative impact on environment and human health and provide improved benefit to cost ratio to farmers.

Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, emphasized the significance of this initiative, saying, “The ever-increasing population poses food-security challenges, and by 2050 the world needs to increase food production by 70 percent. Traditional chemicals alone cannot increase food production and protect crops from pathogens. The Indian Government under the PM PRANAAM scheme is continuously promoting alternative fertilisers and biogenic agri-inputs. TERI is one of the pioneers in this arena, and in collaboration with robust industry partners like CFCL, holds the potential to bring cutting-edge biological solutions to the market to address multiple issues related to food security, human health, and impact on environment and climate.”

Abhay Baijal, Managing Director, CFCL, expressed optimism about the partnership, stating, “The success of Uttam Superrhiza and encouraging response of Uttam Pranaam Bio-Phosphorous led us to establish this joint Centre of Excellence (CoE) to promote sustainability through bio-based agricultural solutions in India. This initiative strengthens our long-term partnership with TERI to develop sustainable agriculture bio-solutions that benefit both agriculture and the environment. The Centre of Excellence aligns closely with the Government of India’s BioE3 initiative which aims to promote bio-manufacturing industries. By leveraging TERI’s research capabilities and CFCL’s market expertise, it aims to create innovative, eco-friendly agricultural solutions that enhance soil and environmental health, address climate resilience, and support food security.”

With the grant-in-aid from CFCL over a