Pankaja Munde, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Environment & Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra, inaugurated the Cargill’s Integrated Dairy Development Initiative at Mumbai Matralaya.
Cargill announced the launch of an Integrated Dairy Development Initiative in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district in partnership with Syngenta Foundation India and Digital Green India.The program was inaugurated in Mumbai Mantralaya by Pankaja Munde, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Environment & Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra.With an investment of over ₹2.3 crores over the next two years as part of Cargill’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts, the initiative will first be rolled out across Ahilyanagar district (before expanding to other districts) and aims to improve livestock health, dairy productivity, and farmer resilience for more than 3,000 farmers through Pashu Arogya Mitra (Mobile Veterinary Van) in 26 villages of Rahuri, Rahata and Shrirampur districts of Ahilyanagar.Additionally, the initiative will also provide AI-powered digital advisory services, and farmer capability building for 5,000 farmers directly across 120 villages, according to a Cargill statement.“Strengthening the rural economy and increasing farmers’ income is a key priority of the state government. Animal husbandry and dairying are important pillars of rural development and need to be better facilitated by effective use of technology, artificial intelligence-based guidance and accessible veterinary services. This joint initiative of Cargill, Syngenta Foundation India and Digital Green India will contribute to the modernization of the livestock sector, women empowerment and sustainable rural livelihoods,” Munde said.At the center of the initiative are two mobile veterinary vans deployed in partnership with Syngenta Foundation India, towards critical last-mile veterinary healthcare requirements in this region. Complementing the veterinary intervention, Digital Green will conduct Livestock and Farm Management Training program to help build capacity of dairy farmers.Digital Green will also introduce FarmerChat, an AI-powered, voice-enabled advisory platform that provides real-time guidance in local languages.Accessible through voice, text, and image-based queries, the platform will also help farmers navigate government livestock schemes, animal health services, input providers, and generic market options, helping reduce information gaps, enabling more timely and informed decision-making.Ravinder Balain, President, Cargill India & Senior Managing Director Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health, India, said “India’s dairy sector plays a critical role in strengthening rural livelihoods, food security, and agricultural growth, particularly in Maharashtra where animal husbandry remains deeply connected to the rural economy. For Cargill, the state is a strategic market, and we have been working closely with dairy farmers here for several years through nutrition, animal healthcare, farmer education, and veterinary outreach programs.”“This partnership with Cargill represents a powerful blend of community-led extension and AI-enabled innovation. We are focusing on Maharashtra as our state of intervention because of the critical need for livestock support, its strong agricultural focus as an economic driver, and its progressive adoption of digital and AI technologies in line with Viksit Bharat. By equipping frontline agents and farmers with FarmerChat’s localized advisories, we’re creating a scalable model that puts actionable livestock intelligence where it’s needed most—at the village level. Together, we’re building pathways to improved productivity, resilience, and economic opportunity for dairy farmers”, said Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, Digital Green India.Vikram Borade, CEO, Syngenta Foundation India (SFI), said: “Livestock is not just an asset for rural families, it is an important source of income security and household resilience. The encouraging initial success of the Pashu-Arogya Mitra Mobile Veterinary Van initiative in Ahilyanagar clearly demonstrates the potential to scale this model across Maharashtra and beyond. Together with Cargill, we will help strengthen veterinary healthcare, improving animal health and dairy productivity for sustainable income for farming community”The initiative builds on Cargill’s longstanding presence in Maharashtra through its Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) business, which has been supporting the state’s dairy ecosystem since 2019 through dairy feed, animal healthcare, farmer capability building, and veterinary outreach programs.Published on June 2, 2026
