Seed and fertilizer companies in India: agri dealers list

Who makes agri inputs, and how they reach farmers

Seeds, fertilizers and pesticides reach India's farmers through a long chain, and a dealers list is most useful when you know where each business sits in it:

• Fertilizer makers: cooperatives such as IFFCO and KRIBHCO, public sector companies such as National Fertilizers and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers, and private manufacturers and importers. The government fixes the selling price of urea and subsidises other fertilizers, so dealers often choose a company for supply, credit and service as much as for price.
• Seed companies: the public sector National Seeds Corporation, state seed corporations, and many private seed companies, a large number of them in and around Hyderabad, often called India's seed capital.
• Pesticide and agrochemical makers, with many plants in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and a growing group of bio-pesticide, bio-fertilizer and plant nutrition firms.
• Distributors and wholesalers, who hold stock for a district and give credit to retailers.
• Retail input dealers in taluka towns, mandi towns and large villages, called krishi seva kendras in Maharashtra, along with cooperative societies that sell fertilizer to their members.

Most input companies sell only through dealers, and a farmer's choice of brand is often made at the dealer's counter. That is why makers, and everyone who sells to farmers, want to reach dealers.

The licences an input dealer needs

Each kind of input needs its own permission, issued by the state agriculture department, usually through its district offices:

• Seeds: a dealer's licence under the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, made under the Seeds Act, 1966. Seed on sale must carry a label with details such as the variety, germination and lot number.
• Fertilizers: registration as a dealer under the Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985, which also sets quality standards for fertilizers. Subsidised fertilizers are sold through point-of-sale machines that record each farmer's purchase.
• Pesticides: a licence to sell, stock or exhibit for sale under the Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Insecticides Rules, 1971. The products themselves must be registered with the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee.

Dealers usually need a document from each company whose products they stock, often called a principal certificate, added to their licence. In recent years the rules for new dealers have also asked for a qualification, such as a degree in agriculture or a related science, or a recognised course for input dealers such as DAESI, run by MANAGE in Hyderabad. The details differ by input and change over time, so check the current rules with the state agriculture department.

Our agri input dealers list

The Fertilizer, Seed & Pesticide Dealers list has 6,603 seed, fertilizer and pesticide dealers in 201 cities and towns. 86% have a mobile number and 44% an email address, and 50% name a contact person. Many dealers trade from smaller towns, so the state lists are usually the better buy here; the list is sold for 8 states and 3 cities.

By state

• Maharashtra 1,298 contacts · 51% email · 81% mobile ₹499
• Karnataka 1,166 contacts · 21% email · 98% mobile ₹499
• Gujarat 929 contacts · 57% email · 83% mobile ₹499
• Rajasthan 564 contacts · 40% email · 87% mobile ₹499
• Telangana 423 contacts · 45% email · 81% mobile ₹499
• Uttar Pradesh 376 contacts · 27% email · 90% mobile ₹499
• Tamil Nadu 337 contacts · 47% email · 76% mobile ₹499
• Delhi 329 contacts · 65% email · 71% mobile ₹499

By type of input

• Agri Inputs 4,739 contacts · 36% email · 93% mobile ₹499
• Seeds 387 contacts · 38% email · 93% mobile ₹499
• Fertilizers 363 contacts · 48% email · 80% mobile ₹499

By city

• Mumbai 509 contacts · 65% email · 75% mobile ₹499
• Bengaluru 285 contacts · 55% email · 94% mobile ₹499
• Hyderabad 275 contacts · 53% email · 79% mobile ₹499

Whichever list you use, check three things in the sample before you pay: that the rows are real input shops and distributors rather than farms or unrelated businesses, that the towns match the districts you serve, and that most rows have a mobile number, because few small dealers use email. Shops close and change hands, so expect some numbers to be wrong.

Who sells to agri input dealers

• Input companies looking for dealers in new districts: seed, fertilizer, pesticide, micronutrient, bio-stimulant and organic manure makers.
• Farm equipment makers: sprayers, small tools, drip and sprinkler irrigation, and solar pumps, many of them sold across the same counter.
• Packaging and printing: seed packets, pouches, bottles, labels and HDPE bags.
• Software and finance: billing and stock software that tracks batches and expiry dates, and credit or payment services for dealers and their farmers.
• Allied products: cattle feed, tarpaulins, crop covers and storage bags. Dairies and feed makers often reach farmers the same way, as our dairy companies guide explains.

Companies that run contract farming or buy crops sometimes work through dealers too, because a dealer knows who grows what nearby.

How to approach an input dealer

1. Time it to the season. Dealers stock up before kharif sowing, which follows the monsoon from about June, and before rabi sowing from about October. Call four to eight weeks ahead, while they are deciding which companies to stock, not during the rush.
2. Call when the counter is quiet. Farmers come in the morning and the evening, so early afternoon is usually the best time to talk.
3. Speak their language: Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi or Hindi, depending on the district.
4. Answer the dealer's questions before they ask: the margin, the credit period, schemes and targets, whether you take back expired stock, and what support you give, such as field demonstrations and farmer meetings.
5. Keep the opener specific. For example: "Namaste, I'm calling from a bio-stimulant company in Pune. We are appointing dealers in Nashik district before the rabi season. Do you stock seaweed-based products now, and which company supplies you?"

Our guides to the distributors database and becoming a distributor cover the terms most companies offer. Follow the DND rules for promotional calls and SMS, and send WhatsApp messages only to dealers who have agreed to receive them.

Questions people ask

Do I need a licence to sell seeds, fertilizer and pesticides?

Yes, a separate permission for each, issued by the state agriculture department under the Seeds (Control) Order, the Fertiliser (Control) Order and the Insecticides Act. Apply through the district agriculture office, and check the current fees and qualifications there.

Does the list include the companies or only the shops?

It is built around dealers, distributors and agri input shops. Check the 60 sample rows on the list page to see the mix in the state you need. The big makers list their regional offices on their own websites.

How do I check a dealer's licence?

Ask to see it. The licence or registration is issued by the state agriculture department and names the inputs the dealer may sell, and the district agriculture office can confirm that it is valid.

Can I get dealers for one district?

Buy the state list and filter it by city or PIN code: 84% of rows carry a PIN code. If you need a district we don't cover well, ask us for the data.