Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited celebrates diamond jubilee year

The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) begins its Diamond Jubilee Year for 2026–27 on 3 November 2026, marking 60 years of work in cooperative development, agricultural transformation, technological innovation and improving the prosperity of millions of farmers.Established on 3 November 1967 with 57 cooperative member societies, IFFCO has grown from an ambitious cooperative initiative into one of India's major cooperative organisations.As IFFCO enters its 60th year, the organisation will pay special homage to its founder and first Chairman, Maharajkumar Sahib Udaybhansinhji Natwarsinhji Jethwa, whose vision helped establish the cooperative.As a gesture of respect, gratitude and remembrance, his statues are being installed at all IFFCO manufacturing units and at the organisation's head office in New Delhi to mark the commencement of the Diamond Jubilee Year.Six decades of IFFCOIFFCO's industrial journey took a significant step forward in 1975, when it established its first fertiliser manufacturing facility at the IFFCO Kalol Unit near Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The Kandla Unit followed in 1976, strengthening the organisation's role in expanding India's domestic fertiliser production.The cooperative continued to broaden its manufacturing footprint with the establishment of the Phulpur Unit in 1981 and the Aonla Unit in 1988. These developments further expanded its production capabilities and geographical reach.Another major milestone came in 2005, when IFFCO became India's first cooperative organisation to acquire a private-sector enterprise.The IFFCO Kalol Unit has been instrumental in the cooperative's expansion. A major capacity expansion in 1998 raised the unit's production capability to approximately 1,100 metric tonnes of ammonia and 1,650 metric tonnes of urea per day.The unit continued to focus on conserving energy, improving operational efficiency and adopting sustainable industrial practices. During 2011–12, it implemented an Energy Saving Project that delivered substantial improvements in energy utilisation and plant performance.Continuing this journey of industrial progress, the IFFCO Kalol Unit marked 50 years since its establishment in 2025. The milestone commemorated five decades of service to farmers, industrial achievement and contribution to the country's fertiliser industry.IFFCO also ventured into nanotechnology, ushering in a new phase in the development of fertilisers worldwide.In 2019, the organisation developed nano fertilisers indigenously and began field trials under the guidance of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).The initiative progressed further in 2021, when IFFCO's Nano Urea was formally launched for distribution across the country, with dispatches beginning for farmers.Marking the beginning of IFFCO's Diamond Jubilee Year, Dileep Sanghani, Chairman, IFFCO, said, “The Diamond Jubilee Year marks a defining moment in IFFCO's extraordinary journey of service to farmers and the cooperative movement. Over the last six decades, Today, IFFCO is proudly spearheading a new era of cooperative development by strengthening grassroots institutions, empowering rural communities, and promoting sustainable agricultural growth."As IFFCO begins its Diamond Jubilee Year, the organisation is reaffirming its commitment to building on its six-decade legacy.As part of a special initiative during the Diamond Jubilee Year, IFFCO's Board of Directors and senior leadership will travel across the country to participate in farmer gatherings and meetings organised by cooperative institutions.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.