Syngenta Partners with Fair Labor Association to Raise Wages in India's Agri Industry

Syngenta underscores the release of a report called 'Seeds of Change' from the Fair Labor Association, which marks the completion of a three-year pilot project commissioned by Syngenta with a view to increasing the wages in India's agricultural industry. 

As per the report, through the pilot with the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Syngenta improved wages at seeds field production growing areas in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In the report, Syngenta's six-step action plan to address the issue of low incomes in India in the field of agriculture. The six-step action includes conducting an internal review of procurement prices and calculations, increasing awareness among internal and external stakeholders, and strengthening wage documentation. 

Low Wages of farmers in India

Syngenta has been committed to looking after every worker who is striving for fair labor conditions across the supply chain network and its Good Growth Plan demonstrates the same. Bill Tomlinson, Head of Global Seeds Production and Supply says, "Our partnership with Food Labor Association is a critical enabler of ensuring that we take care of the safety and human rights of every worker in our supply chain."  

"Our efforts for fair labor conditions extend across the world, and we hold our partners and suppliers accountable to high standards of health, safety, environmental and working conditions," he further adds. 

The project also highlights the importance of an approach that is industrywide so that the impact can be bigger than a simple company acting alone. 

Syngenta sources from 12,000 farms in India, either directly or indirectly. The company also works with 200 seed organizers in order to build relationships with farmers and to communicate information. The company is not only limited to India but has a worldwide reach with fair labor initiatives across the world.