Yara India Revives Muzaffarpur’s Litchi Glory Through Farmer-Centric Interventions

National, 18 July, 2025: Yara India, a subsidiary of Yara International and the world's leading crop nutrition company, has played a pivotal role in restoring Muzaffarpur’s reputation as the home of premium litchis. With a strong commitment to farmer empowerment and good agricultural practices, Yara introduced targeted interventions to tackle longstanding challenges in litchi cultivation. These included poor shelf life, declining quality, and low market prices—issues rooted not just in climate, but in a combination of agronomic and post-harvest practices.

Contrary to common perception, weather alone was not the primary reason for low productivity. Key issues such as unbalanced nutrition, poor crop management, and minimal post-harvest practices had severely limited the income potential for Muzaffarpur’s litchi farmers. Recognizing this, Yara implemented a science-led, multi-pronged strategy designed to improve fruit quality, boost farmer profits, and reduce post-harvest losses.
The initiative was focused on a multi-pronged strategy. Yara implemented a Crop Cluster Strategy and developed a robust 20x20 retailer network, supported by a route chart to ensure consistent farmer outreach. Agronomically, Yara identified YaraVita Zintrac, Bortrac, and Stopit as key foliar products to combat the core issues affecting litchi fruit quality. In collaboration with YCNC Om Krishi Kendra, the campaign featured one-on-one farmer meetings, Organized Farmer Meetings (OFMs), crop seminars, demo plots, and digital engagement to maximize awareness and adoption. Educational efforts through Yara India FarmCare mobile application and exposure visits helped promote knowledge sharing and best practices among farmers.

Farmers reported visible improvements in fruit size, color, and overall quality, with a significant reduction in fruit damage, cracking, and drop. Most notably, the enhanced shelf life allowed them to reach better-paying markets and reduce dependence on local juice factories, where rates were historically low.

A three-year before–after analysis illustrates the initiative’s strong impact. In 2022, the average yield per acre was about 3 metric tons, generating an income of ₹1.35 lakh per acre. By 2024, yields had increased to 4.5 metric tons, with incomes rising to ₹4.05 lakh per acre. In the current year, 2025, farmers have achieved yields nearing 4.9 metric tons per acre, with average returns touching ₹4.9 lakh. This substantial growth reflects not only higher productivity but also the improved marketability of the produce. Importantly, post-harvest losses have reduced dramatically—from over 30% in 2022 to under 10% in 2025—ensuring more of the harvest reaches consumers in peak condition.

Yara India’s initiative stands as a testament to the power of data-driven agriculture, good agricultural practices, and strong local partnerships. With over 400 farmers currently engaged and a recorded 55% increase in yield, the program is a replicable model for crop-focused rural revival.

About Yara 
Yara's mission is to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. We pursue a strategy of sustainable value growth through reducing emissions from crop nutrition production and developing low-emission energy solutions. Yara's ambition is focused on growing a nature-positive food future that creates value for our customers, shareholders and society at large and delivers a more sustainable food value chain.
To drive the green shift in fertilizer production, shipping, and other energy intensive industries, Yara will produce ammonia with significantly lower emissions. We provide digital tools for precision farming and work closely with partners at all levels of the food value chain to share knowledge and promote more efficient and sustainable solutions.
Founded in 1905 to solve the emerging famine in Europe, Yara has established a unique position as the industry's only global crop nutrition company. With 17,000 employees and operations in more than 60 countries, sustainability is an integral part of our business model. In 2024, Yara reported revenues of USD 13.9 billion.