Biswajyoti Basu
S Sivakumar
Chief Executive, Agribusiness, ITC Ltd
How did you reach where you are today?
Rural management was a subject which
interested me greatly. I had a lot of options but I decided to join institute of Rural
Management. I worked for a farmer’s co-operative in Gujarat, looking after the oil
seeds sector. I joined ITC in 1989 as export manager. Thereafter I was vice president
(Agri-trading), chief executive of Indian Leaf Tobacco Division. I took over as chief
executive of ITC Agribusiness last year.
What has been the guiding force in your
career?
Field work in villages forms an
integral part of the IRMA curriculum. I was particularly struck by two things: a) the
value systems of the rural folk and b) their business acumen. It is just that these people
do not have enough business opportunity. If India is set to become a global powerhouse
there has to be a transformation in rural India rather than urban India. It is the
indomitable spirit and skills of the rural populace that were my guiding forces.
What qualities you feel have made you
what you are today?
Humility. The ability to convert
constraints into opportunities and refine every aspect of business.
What has been the high point in your
career?
Conceptualising e-choupal (the largest
Internet- based intervention in rural India by any corporate). It gave me the opportunity
to fuse agriculture with Information Technology. This initiative has the ability to
transform the rural landscape at a macro level and thereby fulfil my own dreams.
What is your advice to young people who
want to make it big?
You will be able to make it big only
when you create something which is bigger than yourself. You should not only dare to dream
but care to achieve.
How does it feel to be the chief
executive of your company?
The past entails a lot of
responsibilities. Unlike traditional companies where the senior management takes a lot of
responsibilities, with e-choupal one needs to delegate responsibilities to the entire team
to achieve the best. I look at myself as both an enabler and a supporter.
What role will ITC- Agribusiness play in
the overall growth of ITC Ltd in the years to come?
Agribusiness is a critical part of
tomorrow’s ITC. It contributes to two different areas: sourcing for ITC’s FMCG
business and cost/quality optimisation of raw materials. As rural economy expands, the
two-way flow of goods and services creates a new business opportunity which has not been
seen before. Soyabean, wheat, coffee and aquaculture are our interest areas.
But then you burnt your fingers
vis-à-vis aquaculture previously….
The concept of e-choupal is nothing
new. The collaborative model was always there, only now it has become e-enabled. In
tobacco, for example, ITC Agribusiness is looking at the entire value chain from research
to retail. Vertical integration will be an integrator to the chain.
To sum up, I would reiterate that the
two-way transformation is crucial for ITC as a whole in the near future.
