The 2024 Rochdale Pioneers Award has been presented to Dr Udai Shanker Awasthi, the Managing Director of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO).
A chemical engineer, he joined IFFCO in 1976. Under his leadership, the cooperative increased its production capacity by 292% and net worth by 688%. IFFCO is the largest fertiliser producer and marketer in India, and the biggest cooperative in the world by turnover on GDP per capita.
Established in 2000, the Rochdale Pioneers Award is the highest honour the ICA bestows. It aims to recognise, in the spirit of the Rochdale Pioneers, a person or, under special circumstances, a cooperative organisation, having contributed to innovative and financially sustainable cooperative activities that have significantly benefited their membership.
ICA President Ariel Guarco presented the award to Dr Awasthi during a special ceremony at the ICA Global Conference in New Delhi, India, on 25 November.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Dr Udai Shanker Awasthi. “This recognition belongs not just to me but to the entire IFFCO family, whose dedication and hard work have driven the cooperative’s success. This award motivates us to continue pushing boundaries and exploring opportunities that benefit the farming community and cooperative sector. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the International Cooperative Alliance for this recognition, that inspires us to uphold and advance the cooperative spirit globally.”
Dr Awasthi further added, “Having been recognized among the top 300 cooperatives globally by the ICA World Cooperative Monitor Report, IFFCO championed sustainable agriculture through Nano fertilizers like Nano DAP and Nano Urea Liquid, transforming farming practices and meeting the demand for eco-friendly solutions. Locally produced Nano fertilizers tackled logistical issues, reduced import reliance, and replaced bulky packaging with compact bottles. These innovations improved soil health, boosted farmer profitability, and promoted environmentally responsible farming”.
Dr. Awasthi said that IFFCO has achieved notable operational success, with the production of 44 lakh bottles of Nano DAP Liquid and selling over 2.04 crore bottles of Nano Urea Liquid. It conducted 80,000 field demonstrations, training over 80,000 farmers and 1,500 rural entrepreneurs. Total fertiliser production reached 88.95 lakh tons, including 48.85 lakh tons of urea and 40.10 lakh tons of NPK, DAP, WSF, and specialty fertilizers. Domestic and international sales totaled 112.26 lakh tons, further advancing organic and chemical fertilizer use.
IFFCO is the host of the ICA Global Conference.
Dr Awasthi is the second Indian citizen to receive the Award, after Dr Verghese Kurien, the recipient of the 2001 Award.
The full list of laureates is available here: https://ica.coop/en/media/library/fact-sheets/rochdale-award-laureates
For further information contact Leire Luengo, Director of Communications at luengo@ica.coop.
Photos from the Awards ceremony are available here.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About the International Cooperative Alliance
Founded in 1895, the International Cooperative Alliance is a non-profit international association established in 1895 to advance the cooperative social enterprise model. The International Cooperative Alliance is the voice for cooperatives worldwide, representing more than 308 cooperative federations and organisations across 106 countries. Through its membership, the International Cooperative Alliance represents 1,2 billion people from any of the 2.94 million cooperatives worldwide. The largest 300 cooperatives in the world have combined annual revenues of 2.4 trillion USD (2021) and 300 million people around the world (10% of the employed population) secure their livelihoods in cooperatives, either through direct employment or by organising through a cooperative. The International Cooperative Alliance works with global and regional governments and organisations to create the legislative environments that allow cooperatives to form and grow. Towards media and public, the International Cooperative Alliance promotes the importance of people-centred cooperatives’ values-based business model. Operating from a global office in Brussels, Belgium, the International Cooperative Alliance is organised with four Regional Offices (Europe, Africa, Americas, and Asia-Pacific), and eight Sectoral Organisations (Banking, Agriculture, Fisheries, Insurance, Health, Housing, Consumer Cooperatives and service and industry cooperatives).
