Since 1969, Aries Agro Limited, an Indian Multinational company is offering the widest range of products in the primary, secondary and micro-fertilizer sector, ranging from individual element to mixed specialty plant nutrient fertilizers. It has pioneered several innovative concepts of farming to Indian agriculturists, including the wonder of Chelation Technology, bio-degradable complexes of plant nutrients, water soluble NPK fertilizers, value added secondary nutrients, natural and biological products and water treatment formulations.
Aries products provide all 16 plant nutrients required in agriculture and can be customized for the specific needs of 107 different crops. It has been consistently recognized among India’s best-in-class companies. With more than 70 brands in the niche plant nutrition industry, the company is selling its products at 90,000 retail outlets across India. Aries is today an Indian-born multinational company with four manufacturing units to produce over 150,000 tons of specialized plant nutrition products
Intellectual Leaders
The Founders, Dr. T. B. Mirchandani and Mrs. Bala Mirchandani of Aries Agro were a team of marketing and technical experts in the area of agri business. The company was set up in 1969 and Dr. Rahul Mirchandani, the Chairman & MD, joined business in February 1995. Since joining as part of the market development team, Rahul Mirchandani has been instrumental in expanding the company’s presence from nine states to twenty-six states. With the use of sensory branding for the first time in Indian Animal Nutrition Products and by using water soluble packaging for the single dose packs of Aries flagship brands, he created a buzz in the market apart from ensuring accurate dose and reducing labor requirements.
Rahul Mirchandani balances a mix of experienced stalwarts with growing young enthusiasts in his team of over eight hundred employees of which over a hundred have been with the organization for more than two decades. He always ensures that the Aries team is highly skilled and trained in concept selling, digitally connected and extremely trusted by farmers.
Top-notch Technological Products and Services
The company provides a range of products which are in the specialty plant nutrition area and can be segmented into:
- Micronutrient fertilizers and Chelates
- Water soluble NPK fertilizers
- Secondary plant nutrition and soil conditioners
- Aquaculture and fishery nutrition
- Animal health supplements
- Water treatment and post-harvest management solutions
- Bactericides and plant hormones
In order to promote these products, the company’s team of dynamic professionals, who possess a mix of technical expertise and business acumen, also provides services like:
- Mobile soil testing
- Farmers training and knowledge sharing programmes
- Forums for farmers to discuss policy issues with Government
- A seat on the table at Industry associations including Confederation of Indian Industry, Indian Micro-fertilizers Manufacturers Association, Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, etc.
- Merchandising and display contests
- Dealers and Retailers training programmes
- Study tours and excellence missions for farmers
Through its products and passion, Aries continually demonstrates that it is a responsible corporate citizen, working hard to retain the delicate balance of nature and the development of communities where it works and grows.
Rewards and Recognitions
With the consistent efforts of the Aries family, the company has been recognized with many awards and accolades. Some of them are as follows:
- Felicitated by Economic Times as the “Champions of Rural Market 2018”
- The highest independent honor in India named as ‘Skoch Gold Award 2017’ for its consistent work serving for Indian farmers.
- Recognized with Skoch Order of Merit – 2017 for being amongst the top 100 SME’s in India
- The National Record awarded by Limca Book of Records for the Largest Flash Sale of Specialty Plant Nutrient Products
- Winner of Inc India Innovative 100 Award
- Winner of CNBC Emerging India Award 2008
- Recipient of the National Unity Award
- Recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award
Aries Agro is the first company which successfully connects over 10,000 young farmers in CII’s Young Indians National Farmer Network with the objective of knowledge sharing. Also, it is the first and only company to launch Khazaana –India’s only customer Loyalty Programme in Agribusiness. It has also successfully expanded the business operations from 35,000 MT ten years ago to 1,50,000 MT today, spread over four factories in India and one unit overseas. This will be further expanded to two more locations in the coming few years.
Community Development
The company has focused on a range of community activities such as Infrastructure support for Education, Scholarships, Farmers Call Centre and Knowledge dissemination activities. These sessions are conducted by the team of 138 extension officials spread across 26 states. The unique feature of these events is that they have participation on a common intellectual platform from top government officials, opinion leaders, academia, research scholars, scientists, agribusiness students and farmers from across the states.
The company also provides on-field Soil Testing Services, in order to make the farmers understand the specific nutrient needs of their farms.
Unique CSR Programmes: Well on Wheels
Apart from the community development activities, “Well on Wheels”, is a device to assist the women in rural areas to carry 45 liters of water using a wheel barrow type of machine, rather than carrying heavy loads on their head across long distances.
Piece of Advice
“The agri inputs segment is a high growth but hyper competitive market where finding a unique niche to provide products and services which are relevant to farmers needs is most critical. Tenacity, agility and patience will be the only ways that entrepreneurs can ensure the success and survive in this attractive market.” says Dr. Rahul Mirchandani.
Marching towards the Horizon
The future of Aries, which is embarking on its golden jubilee year in 2019-20, is being charted by strengthening its focus areas. It is redesigning flagship formulations every year based on soil testing so that the company is always ahead of the competition. The company is re-engineering it’s products using the best in class technologies to further improve the effectiveness of the Aries range of products and nurturing a team of highly trained agri business professionals in all markets that Aries serves.
Lastly, the company is creating digital media infrastructure for information delivery to farmers and ensuring that Aries customers have access to the latest information on crop management and Indian good agricultural practices.
Source :-The 10 Most Recommended Agri-Tech Companies
