India has over 10,000 registered Farmer Producer Organisations, collectives designed to give smallholder farmers the bargaining power and market access that individual cultivators rarely have on their own. Getting quality agri-inputs into the hands of those FPOs at the right time and at fair prices has, however, remained a persistent challenge. Coromandel International’s latest partnership is a direct attempt to change that.
The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Samunnati Agri Value Chain Solutions, India’s leading agri-ecosystem platform, to enable the supply, promotion and distribution of Coromandel’s agri-inputs across FPO networks nationwide. The MoU was signed by Madhab Adhikari, EVP and Business Head for Fertiliser, SSP and Nano at Coromandel, and Suresh Rajagopalan, Executive Director of Samunnati, in the presence of Narayanan Vellayan, Executive Director for Crop Nutrition at Coromandel.
What the Partnership Does
At its core, the collaboration combines two complementary strengths. Coromandel International brings a product portfolio spanning fertilisers, crop protection, speciality nutrients, nano fertilisers and bio products, backed by deep field expertise and a network of over 1,200 rural retail outlets across five states. Samunnati brings something different: a platform built specifically around FPOs and agri value chain participants, with established relationships across rural India and a track record of enabling market linkages for smallholder collectives.
Together, the partnership aims to make Coromandel’s inputs more accessible to FPOs that might otherwise struggle with procurement logistics, pricing transparency or access to technical advisory. The agreement also opens the door for customised marketing support, product demonstrations and technology adoption programmes tailored to the needs of FPO members.
A financial dimension adds further weight to the arrangement. Samunnati Finance may provide financial assistance to eligible FPOs and agri ecosystem participants for the procurement of Coromandel products, subject to separate arrangements and regulatory requirements. For smaller FPOs where upfront procurement costs are a barrier, this could prove to be the most practically significant aspect of the deal.
The Thinking Behind It
Narayanan Vellayan framed the partnership as a natural extension of Coromandel International’s core commitment. “By combining Coromandel’s strong product portfolio and field expertise with Samunnati’s deep engagement with FPOs and agri value chain participants, we aim to improve access to quality inputs and support the growth of a more resilient and efficient agri ecosystem,” he said.
Rajagopalan echoed that framing from Samunnati’s side. The collaboration, he said, would help strengthen last-mile access to quality agri-inputs, promote sustainable farming practices and create greater value for FPOs, Village Level Entrepreneurs and farmers through integrated market linkage and financial inclusion solutions.
The language of last-mile access is significant here. India’s agri-input distribution system has historically worked well for large dealers and well-connected individual farmers. FPOs, despite representing a more organised and scalable model of farmer engagement, have often fallen between the cracks, too large for individual dealer relationships but not large enough to command the direct attention of major input companies. This partnership attempts to close that gap structurally.
A Broader Momentum
The Samunnati MoU is the latest in a series of moves by Coromandel International to deepen its reach into the farming ecosystem beyond the traditional retail and dealer model. The company’s 1,200-strong Gromor store network, its Gromor Gram model village programme now active across 101 villages in 12 states, its drone spraying network covering over one million acres, and the recently launched Nutri Connect App collectively point to a company systematically expanding the surface area of its engagement with Indian agriculture.
The FPO channel, through Samunnati’s network, adds another dimension to that strategy, one focused not on individual farmers but on the collective structures that increasingly represent the future of organised smallholder farming in India.
Coromandel International posted a turnover of Rs 31,827 crore in FY26, a significant step up from Rs 24,444 crore in FY25, reflecting the scale at which the company now operates. Deploying that scale in the service of FPOs and the farmers behind them is, increasingly, what the next chapter of that growth story looks like.
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