The ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), Nagpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coromandel International (CIL) on 13 June 2024. This collaboration aims to enhance the dissemination of improved soil test-based crop nutrition management to benefit the farmers in Maharashtra, particularly in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

This partnership will focus on soil test-based datasets generated by NBSS&LUP and best nutritional management solutions provided by Coromandel for better soil health and to improve crop productivity of the region. This partnership further aims to foster better coordination, research exchange, and support for the farming community.

The MoU will enable Coromandel to bring advanced nutrition and crop management practices to Maharashtra based on the soil information and farm advisories provided by ICAR-NBSS&LUP. As part of this project, site-specific nutrition demonstrations and farmers' awareness programs will be conducted. The validated results will be used to develop Decision Support Systems (DSS) through mobile applications for crop choices and nutrient management. During the signing event, several other common scientific and farmer-centric issues for collaboration between the two organizations were discussed, including drone-based research for precision agriculture, carbon farming, and climate-smart agriculture.