Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) felicitated R. D. Shroff, Chairman and Managing Director, UPL Ltd. who was recently conferred Padma Bhushan award in 2021 for trade & industry.

Rajju Shroff and his wife Sandra Shroff were honored with shawls and presented with mementos and bouquets by Nirmala Pathrawal, ED, CCFI and Harish Mehta, Senior Advisor, CCFI. A video film “Trailblazing Visionary” depicting the initial achievements of Shroff family and recapturing the years gone by was released much to the surprise and appreciation of the august gathering. 

Deepak Shah, Chairman, CCFI and Rajesh Aggarwal, Vice Chairman, CCFI lauded the achievements of Rajju Shroff as he is popularly known. He was one of the first entrepreneurs to set up a chemical plant, register several molecules for the Indian crop segment, undertake large scale demonstrations and set up manufacturing plants not only in India but abroad. One of the first corporations in the agrochemical sector to export molecules which were matching global standards at a competitive price earning valuable foreign exchange. This was all successfully implemented during license raj in spite of competition from imported chemicals and MNCs.

Dr. Ashwani Mahajan of Swadeshi Jagran manch, complimented Rajju bhai for being a staunch nationalist and spearheading the Government of India  policy of Make in India much before to become self reliant.

Farmer leader Dr. Krishan Bir Chaudhary was all praise for the effort of Rajju Shroff to take MNCs head on both in quality and price. Other speakers were Dr. C. D. Mayee, Ashish Shelar, and Ashwin Shroff who praised his technical competence and passion for chemistry besides being the second highest contributor in corporate social responsibility. 

CCFI organized the felicitation which was attended by industry colleagues, members of chemical associations, and others. 

In his address R. D. Shroff attributed his success to his wife Sandra, son Jay Shroff (Global CEO) and Vikram Shroff for their unparalleled support besides dedicated UPL management team. He stated that Indian quality matches global standards and we are exporting to over 130 countries. In fact agrochemicals is the major sector where exports have reached Rs. 30,000 crore higher than domestic consumption.

Shroff said that CCFI serves as a responsible interface between Government and Industry at all levels including farmers, researchers, and scientists. We are instrumental in framing of Government policies, proposed market regulatory reforms, technologies adoption, and research and extension, information techniques in agriculture and in generating rural employment for the benefit of our stakeholders namely corporate trade, channel partners, farmers and their contract labor.

It is our endeavor to ensure farmers' prosperity by taking up extension work and demonstration to help small and marginal farmers to minimize their crop losses and increase their income, added Shroff. 

Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) is an apex federation of over 50 Indian manufacturers dealing in agriculture inputs like pesticides, fertilizers, seeds and farm equipment with pan India presence. The basic purpose is advancement of crop protection and safety of farmers during field operations and storage.