Sansmriti Vol 3-2016

The model of paddy under drip was subsequentlyreplicated in 16 other states in India and the resultshave been impressive, both in terms of water savingand the increase in productivity.Rewarding InnovationRecognising the success of Shri Parthasarathy andhis visionary approach in transforming the waypaddy is being cultivated in his lands, he was awardedthe Innovative Rice Farmer Award by Union Ministerfor Labour and Employment Shri Bandaru Dattatreyain the presence of B J Pandian, Director, WTC, TNAU inthe year 2015. The award was instituted by IndianInstitute of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Selected among30 nominated farmers from the 16 states, ShriParthasarathy was awarded for large-scale adoptionof drip irrigation in rice in Amaravati sub-basin in thestate of Tamil Nadu. His experience and success withdrip in paddy has led to 235 acres with 65 farmersbeing identified for developing Govindapuram forRice Village Project. Netafim, with its world classproducts, experts from TNAU and the progressiveand futuristic farmers of India have now forged apartnership that is ready to create a big and positiveimpact. Drip in paddy will be a paradigm shift fromthe traditional flooded fields and more and morecultivators are understanding and acknowledging thebenefits that they can avail by switching to drip. 49

TECHNOLOGY FOR EFFICIENCY & COMFORT - Mechanization Solutions“Technology should be an important ingredient. It may and should be a tool forsocial development.” – Aleksander KwasniewskiCotton & Sugarcane are two main crops in India, which Parameter Conventional HDPS Mecanizedare grown under drip irrigation; these 2 crops generate Cotton Cottonmost of the revenue for Netafim and many other Plants/acrecompanies in India. Sugarcane sales contribute about Sowing 4000-6000 14000-3500045% sales in Maharashtra of which Sugar mill alliances Duration Manual Mechanized through plantercontribute about 50%. To create a competitive edge in Harvesting 7-9the market and have a USP, NETAFIM wanted to Flush Manual 6-7 monthsintroduce a complete mechanized solution for cotton & 2-4 Mechanizedsugarcane for addressing the issues like labour,increasing cost of cultivation and stagnating yields & 1help farmers, sugar-mill, etc. These pain points arethere currently in cotton & sugarcane cultivation: Sugarcane Harvesting  Availability of labour Issues Effect Aspiration  Increasing cost of manual sowing, planting & High weight Soil compaction and 4-5 tons harvesting 7-8 tons issue in ratooning ~70HP  Very low efficiency High HP Small size suitableObjective High diesel consumption for small farms  Improved precision in sowing, planting & 180-200 HP High operating cost Tractor driven Big Size <3% harvesting Movement is more At proper height  Decreased cost of and dependence on manual Self-propelled expensive than operation High trash Not suitable for small farms 5 Million labour which is the biggest cost of cultivation % (8-10%) Easy maintenance (~20% in case of cotton) for farmers De topping Idle for 6-7 months  Improved productivity for farmer & mills Recovery less  Competitive edge & differentiation for Netafim Cost Lower efficiencyComponents Loss of caneThe Concept Service Tops in cane Flow of HDPS mechanized Cotton High interest cost – Total Cost 11 Million INR Time lag for service Partners for technology & Models in 2015 Cotton – Monsanto & John DeereMechanized Controlled Defoliation Mechanized Second PROJECT PROJECT-1 PROJECT-2 Sowing plant growth Harvesting Crop Lead Company Monsanto John Deere Other Companies Bayer, Bajaj Steel, involved New Holland Area Govt. plot Monsanto operated Ankur, Mahyco Aurangabad Farmer Field , Akola June June- December December January Plant Population 14,000-20,000 35,00050 November Area for Drip 2 acres 5 acres

Sugarcane -Chechi e Magli Srl, Bologone, Italy fertigation management. Soon, we shall be running  Name of the Planter - Unitrium next trials in those crops.  Type: Single Row Planter In Sugarcane the mechanization has 3 components –  Present Share Type: Standard (Required - Tissue culture, Planter & Harvester; we demonstrated Medium size) planter part in Maharashtra and the results were quite  Weight - (~) 550 Kg encouraging. Now, the next phase is to deliberate on  Tractor driven (45-55 HP) different models that are possible and start working on  Other features: expansion and promotion of mechanized sugarcane  Dripline laying plantation for improved results.  Initial water supply for seedlings/sets after planting 51  Capacity Approx – 1-2 Ha planting /8hoursTrial, Demonstration & ResultsIn cotton mechanization project while working withPhytech sensor based technology we observed thatit is easy way to keep control on irrigation andfertigation methods. Apart from this it was observed ifwe are keeping our plant root zone continuously atfield capacity level which is beneficial to crop tocomplete its life cycle and every stage in short periodand we can keep control on crop stages. Also input costlike number of spray on crop protection is low, meanslow attack of disease & pest and water savingfor irrigating crops. Efficiency of fertigation is increasedautomatically and crop shows good response with lessapplication. Hence we can see increase in yield.As we demonstrated this Phytech technology atAurangabad for cotton crop, near about 3500 to 4000farmers visited to cotton mechanized plot in field daysand attraction of this plot was Phytech sensor basedtechnology for irrigation and fertigation on drip system.Every drip farmer was interested to know about thistechnology and asking whether this can apply in othertypes of crops like vegetable or horticulture. Number offarmers where asking for its cost and from where it canbe available. As per our experience this technology isbest in cotton and will also help us in Grapes pocket,Pomegranate, Chilli or Capsicum, Shade Net and poly-house in Indian farming because those are verysensitive to water and need good irrigation and

PRODUCTIVITY MULTIPLIED - Small Holdings Drip System“Great acts are made up of small deeds.” – Lao TzuAgriculture and Land Holdings in India very rarely seen to be coming into play. Their problemsOnce regarded as the backbone of the Indian are further aggravated by:economy, agriculture in India faces tough challengetoday by its harsh competitors, the services and  Limited resources in terms of inputs, land andmanufacturing sectors; the contribution to GDP waterdeclining to 13.7%. This compounded by the generalvagaries of a common Indian farmer makes it difficult  Varying water sources that impact water qualityto obtain higher productivity on a year-on-year  Inadequate and erratic power supply that hampersbasis. As the government pitches in incentives andpolicies to increase this share, the fact remains that pump operationmarginalization of land holdings in India is on a steady  Insufficient funds or poor access to financial aidupward trend, making farm mechanization difficult.  Rising prices of quality inputsOver a period of three decades, the marginal land The incentive of a daily wage from working at off-farmholdings category has emerged as a distinct and activities that guarantees an income lures the marginaldominant class by itself with its average size dwindling farmer to work away from his plot of land, which into a mere 0.38 ha. A comparative study from the year many cases offers nothing but an uncertain future.1971-2011 present the following points to throw Hence, addressing the concerns of the marginalmore light on the scenario: farmers is a key criterion for increasing the contribution of agriculture to the Indian economy, via means of  Average size of land holding in India has reduced increased productivity and better standards of living to 1.16 ha for them and providing them with affordable farming solutions. Because of rapidly growing population and  Marginal land holdings in India have risen to 92.36 increasing demand for food, it is imperative that million production be increased in tandem along with optimal utilization of resources. Such a huge population of  Marginal category constitute 67% of the farmers cannot be ignored if we are to double our operational land holdings production and secure 450 million tonnes of food for 1.6 billion people by the year 2050, in addition to  Operated area under marginal farmers totals up to providing the marginal farmers a sustainable and 35.41 million ha secure future.  Average land holdings of the marginal category has reduced to 0.38 haMarginal FarmersEven though the marginal holdings in India constitutetwo thirds of the total operational land holdings, theoperated area under the same category is a mere22.24% of the total operated area in the country. Amarginal farmer faces many challenges to obtainprofitable productivity from his/her small plot of land.They use traditional methods of irrigation, and due tothe small size of the holding, the economies of scale are 52

Netafim’s Small Holdings Drip System:  Prevents water run-off, deep percolation, leachingEmpowering Livelihood and soil erosionNetafim’s Small Holdings Drip System (SDS) is acomprehensive gravity based drip irrigation system The drip technology has brought revolution in thespecially designed for marginal farmers to get own field farming community and in case of marginal landemployment. Based on Netafim low volume drip holdings the SDS of Netafim India has increased theirrigation technology, SDS maximizes productivity livelihood option for the people at the bottom ofusing current and existing resources. Almost no Pyramid. People who have left farming and have beenadditional investment in infrastructure is needed. working as labour on daily wages can now earnWhen required, Netafim India can also provide substantially with the harvest itself. Thus a small landplanning, training, technical and agronomic field holding of 500 - 1000 m2 has now become a sourcesupport designed to suit local conditions and to answer of a long term sustainable income. The SDS is anotherspecific project needs as has been a case of Jharkhand small yet impactful initiative of Netafim to reach outwhere starting from project conceptualizing, planning and cater to all segments of the population that dependto marketing NETAFIM played a major role. The on agriculture for a living. A major segment of ourinstallation kit also comes with a detailed Users’ Manual farmers come under the category of small andand an installation video that demonstrate step-by-step marginal holdings and we at Netafim cannot considerinstructions to install, operate and maintain the system. our mission fulfilled until all farmers are equippedKey features with a system of sustainable livelihood and prosperity. Drip irrigation is what we do best and following  Effective for open field crops as well as small our vision of promoting mass adoption of drip greenhouses irrigation, Netafim’s Small Holdings Drip System is a way to make that happen.  Suitable for smaller plots - 500, 750 and 1000 square meters 53  Easily attaches to any water tank and suitable for varied water sources  Water distribution from water tank to the field happens through gravity and as such electricity is not required for that  Simple to install, easy to operate and cost effective to maintain  Applicable for a wide range of crops and for year round application  Delivers the benefits of drip irrigation technologyBenefits  Increases yield and quality  Easy to operate and maintain with minimal skill and experience  Saves labour and minimises the need for electricity/ energy  Enables multi seasonal application  Cost effective and enhances agri-inputs use efficiency

PROSPERITY WITH PROTECTION - Drip Insurance“Insurance is the only tool that takes pennies and guarantees dollars.”In 1965, when Netafim invented and promoted the – Ben Feldmantechnology of drip irrigation, little did the people ofIsrael know that it would gain world-wide popularity with insurance cover for his/her Netafim drip irrigationand acceptance in the field of agriculture. Drip irrigation system. This two pronged approach, which advertisesnot only saves water, nutrient and energy inputs, but of delivering long term prosperity with the dripalso greatly increases the productivity of crops. irrigation system and protection against damage to theSuitable for all types of crops and soil types, drip system, is introduced at a time when the farmingirrigation has rapidly gained new grounds, beginning community is clamouring for agricultural insurancefrom the arid plains of Israel to almost all corners of the against damage to crops and their farm inputs. Theworld. premium for the insurance has also been kept verySince then, Netafim has come a long way in developing nominal, just 0.3% of the cost of the system plus taxes.holistic solutions for farmers to operate and maintain This means that if a farmer installs a Netafim Dripsustainable productivity on their farms. However, it is Irrigation system worth INR One Lakh, then with justimportant to understand that purchasing a drip an annual premium of INR Three Hundred (plus taxes)irrigation system is a big investment compared to the farmer can avail the benefit of insuring their dripothers done by farmer. There is constant danger of irrigation system against the following adversities:damage to drip equipment due to various natural andman-made factors. Netafim felt that there is a need to  Fire, Theft or Burglaryprotect the farmer from this financial calamity.  Natural Calamities such as Earthquakes and STFICurrently, if the farmer wants to buy insurance forhis/her drip equipment, the insurance companies (storm, tempest, flood & inundation)charge more than 1.2% of the drip cost.  External physical damage due to accidental andAnother step in this direction of providing holisticsolution to the farmers is the launch of Drip Insurance unforeseen reasons (excluding loss due toScheme, a trendsetting initiative aimed at ensuring animals, wild animals, rodents etc.)peace of mind for the farmer and his family.Quality Product with Unmatched Benefits (T & C Apply to above situations)The Drip Insurance Scheme was launched amidst greatpomp and show at the 50th anniversary Netafim Day .Celebrations at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad by our CEOand President Ran Maidan and our MD RandhirChauhan. Fireworks illuminated the grand hall as thescheme along with its logo were launched. Aplty sub-titled ‘ÖÑöã} Öï½ ÖçÓÜâ’ or ‘Prosperity with Protection’,the scheme aims at providing the beneficiary farmer54

Not only this, there is another lucrative feature of thisincentive. The farmer, while availing insurance cover forhis/her drip irrigation system, also becomes eligible forPersonal Accident cover up to the cost of drip irrigationsystem in case of accidental death, and that too freeof cost. This means that not only does Netafim ensurethat proper re-imbursement will be taken care of if theirrigation system faces any natural calamity, theft,burglary, fire, or any external physical damage due toaccidental reasons, but also that Netafim will standby the family of the farmer and provide for immediaterelief to the family in times of need, partnering withthem not just in success but also doing our bit in timesof distress.Future SecuredDrip insurance is an arrangement/alliance forged byNetafim India to provide value addition to its farmers &dealers. The farmers do not have to separatelyapproach any insurance company & can avail theinsurance at one-stop point. Netafim also facilitate theinsurance registration process and claim process. Its ahassle free and highly affordable means of protectingthe irrigation system.With the initiative being popular among the farmers andour channel partners furiously promoting it in themarket, Drip Insurance is becoming a major attractionand incentive for the farmers in partnering with Netafimfor prosperity. In its true sense, Prosperity withProtection enables us Netafians to live our value ofbeing Partners for Success with the thousands thatbecome a part of our great family every year. 55

CHANELLING POTENTIAL - Suvidha Portal“Make your stakeholders rich with knowledge and they will make you rich in knowledge.” – William Butler YeatsWhen we define the value Partner for Success, we at The main function of the portal is to facilitateNetafim, on a continuous basis try to develop and come streamlined exchange of information related toup with new and innovative tools that make ease of financial processes. On a year wise basis, the dealersdoing business more streamlined. Be it our farmers, can access the following from the portal:our stakeholders or our network of dealers, our effortsare directed towards making the processes smoother  Dealer Account Statementand hassle free. In the age of digital revolution, where  Dealer Commission statementpaperwork is slowly becoming obsolete and data  Auto generation of Debit Notestoring is done on virtual drives and cloud, the SBU  Dealer Commission ProvisionWest division of Netafim India has launched a path  Dealer Incentivebreaking initiative to facilitate smoother transactions  TDS Certificatebetween our dealer partners and the company.  Payment AdviceStreamlined Channel Process  Various SchemesIn the month of October, 2015, SBU West organized a  Dealer Request against Various Sales Promotionaldealer meet at Udaipur, where all the dealers fromGujarat State were invited to update them with the Activityprocesses and proceedings of the company. During the  Change Password Facilitymeet, SBU West launched the SUVIDHA Portal, an The receipts or documents related to transactions ininterface for dealers with a multitude of functions and each category can be accessed and downloaded in theapplications. As a pilot, SUVIDHA was launched in form of a PDF or exported as an excel sheet for recordGujarat state as a pilot to understand its utility, monitor keeping. In short, all records are maintained on aits performance and to observe the response from the central server and can be accessed by the dealers at anydealers. point of time. The portal has vastly reduced the time delay that resulted from physical copies of documents SUVIDHA being sent to and from the dealers. Dedicated to Dealer Under the category of Sales Promotion, the dealer can choose the kind of promotional activity whichThe portal is designed in a very simple and user friendly will be undertaken in his/her area. This is to informmanner. Every dealer is issued his/her own unique the company about the promotional activity and alsousername and password. Upon logging in, the dealer is make the dealer aware of any discount or incentive thatable to view his/her profile details registered with our the company may be offering in that particular period.company. Reimbursement of the incentive/discounts has become quick and records are maintained in a proper manner. The dealers can also upload any document that needs to be submitted to the company via the portal. Any intimation that is to be given to the dealers is done via paid SMS service. The dealers are informed56

of any particular requirement and can access the portal at any time to complete the transaction.The portal is being extensively used by the dealers of Gujarat State. It is a big hit among them and all agree that it hasgreatly improved the efficiency of making transactions between them and the company. Also since there is no need ofphysical exchange of documents, the costs incurred in transportation and delivery charges have also beeneliminated. It has helped our accounts department of SBU West to better maintain and analyse records and data.Seeing the success and extensive usage of the portal, in future there is a plan to extend the services to other states aswell. 57

“Life is made up of special MOMENTS which make it worth living. There are many cherished moments that are missed due to stress and fast pace of daily living. We must slow down and remember how precious it is to be alive and to love.” –Anonymous58

As we grow, we create numerous moments, some of them significant enough to bementioned in the pages of our history. When many such moments come together,they make memories. Memories to cherish, recall and rejoice.N MOMENT is a collection of many such events which bring us a smile of content.This is a flashback of the most appreciable instances which have catapulted usonto great heights… 59

AGRITECH ISRAEL 2015The year 2015 was a landmark year for Netafim, as we celebrated our 50th anniversary. The celebrations across allcountries where Netafim has been shaping the future of agriculture and water conservation were grand in everyscale, but the grandest of them all was AgriTech Israel 2015, where Netafim had the opportunity to kick-start the yearround global celebrations and showcase our expertise, our commitment and our legacy in all its splendour. Amongother major players of the agriculture industry from around the world, Netafim had the opportunity to demonstrateour world class products and services to the thousands that visited AgriTech Israel, 2015 that included heads ofbusinesses, Ministers & Government officials, key policy makers, farmers, members of the media, etc. from worldover. Let us have a look at a few glimpses that help us relive this historic event.60

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NEW WAREHOUSE INAUGURATIONStarting afresh and leaving sad memories of the past behind is the hallmark of a champion that never givesup. Sometimes we stumble, but we have to pick ourselves, get up and march ahead towards new achievements.A classic example is our new warehouse at Savli, which was inaugurated on the 12th December, 2014. After theunfortunate incident of March 2013, where the newly constructed warehouse was gutted in flames, the newwarehouse was constructed in record time to facilitate storage of Dripperlines and other accessories. Inauguratedby Guy Sagie, VP Global Operations amidst great pomp & show, the new warehouse is equipped with state of theart storage, dispatch and transportation facility along with office spaces for employees. 63

PLAST INDIAYear 2015 began with Netafim India taking part in a major international exhibition, Plast India 2015, that took place atGandhinagar, Gujarat. Inaugurated by Smt. Anandiben Patel, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, the exhibition was agathering of the world’s leading players in the business of plastics, be it the smallest of pins to house-hold items toproducts that were used in large machineries. Anything under the sun that we could dream of, that was made inplastic, it was there. Netafim India, that is major player in the plastic industry setup a different kind of stall. On a smallplot of land, we were able to demonstrate our latest offering, the Small Holdings Drip System, where rows of beautifulflowers were irrigated by our revolutionary gravity based irrigation system for small holdings. Also, our superstarFertkitTM was also showing off its ability to multi-task automated operations, controlling the irrigation of a small patchof banana plants and flower nursery specially setup for the exhibition. Our corner was a huge attraction, where peopleacross occupations and interests visited our area and enquired about the new technologies on display. Kobi Saban,our Head of Global Operations had also visited our premises and applauded the effort put in to make our premiseslook magnificent.64

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FIRE & SAFETY TRAININGSomeone has rightly said that “Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy.” And with any organization that isinvolved in manufacturing, safety precautions in and around premises must be treated with utmost importance. Ourcompany revisited and boosted our safety norms in 2015 by undertaking safety and first-aid trainings andworkshops for our employees. A group of employees, called as the Fire Fighters, were trained by professionals inhandling fire safety equipment and how to address and act in emergency situations resulting from an outbreak of fire.A select group of employees was also given training in first aid measures and handling any emergency that arisesfrom accidents within the premises. In addition, periodic fire drills and refresher training courses are undertaken tokeep the employees up-to-date with the safety norms and standards that make our premises accident free.66

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VIBRANT GUJARAT GLOBAL TRADE SHOWOne of the most sought after trade exhibitions in India, Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2015 is a gathering of the toporganizations in the word, bringing with them vast business opportunities. Organized in the spectacular ExhibitionCentre, near Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Vibrant Gujarat 2015 was a platform showcasing over 2000+companies of over 25 different sectors. The week-long event, from 7th to 13th January, 2015 saw more than ahundred countries taking part in the mega exhibition which saw a footfall of over 2 million visitors and 2500+international delegates. Many Leaders & Heads of State from National and International Economies, Policy Makers,CEOs of MNCs, Entrepreneurs, Trade associations, Academicians and Thought leaders, International Business &Financial Community, Indian Corporates and many SMEs constituted the star studded profile of the participants. Asthe Global Leader in Smart Irrigation Solutions, Netafim took the opportunity to showcase our superior and cuttingedge smart irrigation technology to the world. Netafim stalls are always a hub of activities in any agriculture cornerand Vibrant Gujarat 2015 was nothing different. Thousands of visitors which included farmers, students,entrepreneurs, etc. expresses keen interest about knowing about drip technology and the special attraction was ourField Automation Section, where our state of the art Controllers and Dosing Units caught the attention of every one.68

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NEW WINDERInnovation is the key to continuous improvement. Coming up with new and better ideas that contribute to ease ofoperations and bring about cost effectiveness in our daily works are always welcome and much sought after,especially when the competition in market is tough and we try to beat competition hands down. One such initiativewas the new winder that was developed by our Materials and Logistics Department. Earlier our winders were bulky,non-foldable and only a few could be transported at one time. With certain technical changes in design, the newwinder now is more sturdy and most importantly, can now be folded into a box few centimetres thick. This has greatlyimproved logistics efficiency; in place of a few small winders, we are now able to transport hundreds. Also, the winderis easy to carry, install and operate on the field, so the customers are also finding the change beneficial. After use, itcan be easily dismantled and folded back, hence less space for storage as well. OLD NEW70

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The Jantar Mantar observatories constitute the most significant and best preserved set of fixed monumentalinstruments built in India in the first half of the 18th century; some of them are the largest ever built in theircategories. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody severalarchitectural and instrumental innovations. Through the impetus of its creator, prince Jai Singh II, theobservatory was a meeting point for different scientific cultures, and gave rise to widespread social practiceslinked to cosmology. The observatory is the monumental embodiment of the coming together of needs whichwere at the same time political, scientific, and religious. The Jantar Mantar is an expression of theastronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughalperiod. One of his foremost objectives was to create astronomical instruments that would be more accurateand permanent than the brass instruments in use at the time. This simple yet remarkable decision broughtforth a collection of large scale structures for the measurement of celestial movement that is unequalledtoday. Of the five cities in which they were constructed (Delhi, Mathura, Varanasi, Ujjain & Jaipur) perhaps themost recognizable and familiar is the impressive red observatory of the Delhi, that has become synonymouswith the name of our National capital.

SANSMRITI - Remembering ExcellenceAs the name suggests, SANSMRITI is an interface for capturing and compiling fondmemories at Netafim which we would love to recall & cherish. This book is a subtleeffort to capture and appreciate those activities and events that have contributeddirectly or indirectly towards the glory of Netafim India as the leader in the industry. It isanother step to instigate cross learning & motivate the employees for bringing out theexcellence...

Irrigation Greenhouse Field AutomationVisit us: Follow us:Gujarat & Rajasthan: 1800 419 5000 | Rest of India: 1800 103 2000 121G-S/16