Tobacco Giant VST’s Success Story with TraceX- Sustainability at Scale

TraceX tracks VST’s tobacco journey, from farm to factory, ensuring sustainable procurement and efficient farmer management through transparency for all stakeholders. 

tobacco traceability, sustainable tobacco traceability, tobacco supply chain

About the Company

VST Industries Ltd aims to implement Traceability throughout their organization, from sowing/plantation to tobacco leaf export. They seek to manage their farmers, farmlands, field technicians, and tobacco procurement comprehensively. 

 

Currently, they utilize the Grower Management System & Farmer Procurement System, which they intend to replace with TraceX’s solution

 

This application will serve as both a farmer management system and a procurement & processing system for tobacco, establishing a unified source of truth for their produce. 

Industry

Agribusiness 

Region

India

Use Case

  • Tracking of Sustainable Practices
  • Streamlined Procurement Workflows 

Features Used

  • Hierarchical Setup and Role Management 
  • Grower Management 
  • Leaf Tobacco Farmer Workflow 
  • Procurement Process Software

Ajay Chaudhary, Head of Digital Transformation at VST says,” I appreciate how TraceX tackles the entire challenge of sustainable tobacco production, from environmental and labour standards compliance to digital solutions and procurement workflows. It’s a comprehensive solution that addresses all the pain points. 

Challenges Faced by VST

  • Fragmented Systems: The company utilizes separate Grower Management and Farmer Procurement Systems, leading to disjointed data management and inefficiencies in tracking and monitoring the entire supply chain. 

 

  • Lack of End-to-End Visibility: The existing systems may not provide comprehensive visibility from sowing/plantation to the export of tobacco leaves, making it difficult to ensure traceability and transparency throughout the entire process. 

 

  • Farmer Management Complexity: Managing a large number of farmers and their farmlands can be challenging, especially without a centralized system to streamline communication, data collection, and farmer engagement. 

 

  • Limited Procurement Efficiency: Procuring tobacco from farmers involves multiple processes and stakeholders, including field technicians and procurement teams. The absence of an integrated system may lead to inefficiencies in procurement operations and delays in the supply chain. 

 

  • Data Accuracy and Integrity: Maintaining data accuracy and integrity across disparate systems poses a risk of errors, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies in critical information related to crop cultivation, procurement, and processing. 

Solutions

Hierarchy & Role Management: 

 

  • Multi-level user access control (Organization, Depot, etc.) 
  • Customized user roles (Admin, Accountant, etc.) 
  • User visibility based on hierarchy level 

Grower Management: 

 

  • Crop & variety configuration with grades 
  • Farmer profiles with ID & bank details 
  • Streamlined agreement creation for active crop years 
  • Input distribution & cash advances to farmers 
  • Nursery management with geo-mapping & activity tracking 
  • Mobile app for field technicians to track farmer activities 
  • GMS surveys for data collection 

Leaf Tobacco Farmer Workflow: 

 

  • Crop year agreements with farmers 
  • Farm plot geo-mapping 
  • Crop details (variety, area, sowing date, harvest) 
  • Planting activity updates (seedbed, transplant, curing, etc.) 
  • GMS survey updates 

Procurement Process Workflow: 

 

  • Procurement tokens with QR codes issued to farmers 
  • Box-wise grading & pricing by graders 
  • Integration with Bluetooth weighing scales for accurate weight data 
  • Generation of token-wise Leaf Purchase Vouchers (LPVs) 
  • Export of farmer outstanding balances for consolidated payments 
  • Token printouts with essential details for tracking

Key Takeaways

  • Farm level traceability enhances accountability and transparency in the tobacco leaf supply chain. 
  • Centralized management system ensures responsiveness and efficiency in meeting consumer demands. 
  • Dependable supply of high-quality tobacco leaf is facilitated through streamlined processes. 
  • Contribution to the sustainability of rural communities and agriculture by empowering farmers and promoting responsible farming practices. 
  • Collaboration between technology providers and tobacco companies fosters a more sustainable and responsible industry. 

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Download your Sustainability at Scale- A Tobacco Giant’s Success Story with TraceX here

Download your Sustainability at Scale- A Tobacco Giant’s Success Story with TraceX here

Download your Sustainability at Scale- A Tobacco Giant’s Success Story with TraceX here

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