Step-01
Farm-to-Fork ESG Baseline
Full supply chain mapping — from FPO and contract farmers through processing and export. BRSR Core gap analysis, EUDR commodity risk assessment and SBTi FLAG eligibility check.
4–6 Weeks
Industry Focus — Agriculture & Food Industry
ESG for India's Agriculture & Food Industry
From soil carbon sequestration and water use efficiency in farming to food safety traceability, smallholder livelihoods and supply chain deforestation risk — we help agri-food companies build credible, investor-grade ESG programmes.
BRSR CoreGHG ProtocolSBTi FLAGFSSAI / ISO 22000EU EUDRRainforest Alliance
18%
of India's total GHG emissions from the agriculture sector
₹3.8L Cr
potential green and climate finance for Indian agri sector by 2030
89%
of Indian food exporters have no verified deforestation-risk supply chain data
EU EUDR
effective from Dec 2025 — blocking agri exports without supply chain traceability
Material Topics
What ESG topics are most material?
Based on SASB Industrials, GRI standards and our proprietary materiality database across 200+ clients.
L
CriticalLand Use, Deforestation & EU EUDR Compliance
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) effective December 2025 blocks exports of soy, palm, cattle, coffee, cocoa, wood and rubber unless geolocation-traced supply chain data proves deforestation-free origin.
EU RegulatorsInvestorsBuyers
W
CriticalWater Use Efficiency & Agricultural Withdrawal
Indian agriculture accounts for 78% of freshwater withdrawal. BRSR Core mandates water intensity disclosure. Investors applying TCFD water risk frameworks are scrutinising basin-level withdrawal data for portfolio companies.
RegulatorsInvestorsCommunities
G
HighGHG Emissions — Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use
SBTi FLAG (Forest, Land & Agriculture) framework sets science-based targets specifically for land-use emissions — enteric fermentation, soil nitrous oxide and land conversion. Investors are beginning to price AFOLU risk.
InvestorsEU BuyersRegulators
S
HighSmallholder Livelihoods & Farmer Welfare
GRI 413 and BRSR Social require disclosure on community engagement, fair price mechanisms and smallholder training investment. Investors see smallholder dependency concentration as a supply chain resilience risk.
InvestorsFarmersRegulators
F
HighFood Safety, Traceability & Product Recalls
FSSAI and ISO 22000 compliance, batch-level traceability and crisis management capabilities directly impact ESG governance scores. Product recall events are treated as material governance failures by rating agencies.
FSSAIConsumersRating Agencies
A
MediumAgrochemical Use & Soil Health Disclosure
Pesticide intensity, integrated pest management adoption and soil organic carbon baseline are increasingly required by EU buyers (Farm to Fork) and institutional investors in the food value chain.
EU BuyersInvestorsRegulators
Regulatory Landscape
Every regulation that applies to your operations
Framework / Regulation
Type
Scope & Applicability
Effective
Framework
BRSR Core (SEBI)
Securities & Exchange Board of India
TypeMandatory
Scope
Listed agri and food companies in NIFTY 1000. GHG, water, social and governance KPIs assured.
Effective
FY 2023–24
Framework
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
European Commission
TypeMandatory
Scope
Exporters of soy, palm, cattle, coffee, cocoa, rubber, wood to EU. Geolocation traceability required.
Effective
Dec 2025
Framework
FSSAI Food Safety Standards
Food Safety & Standards Authority of India
TypeMandatory
Scope
All food processors, manufacturers and exporters. ISO 22000, HACCP and labelling compliance.
Effective
Active
Framework
SBTi FLAG Framework
Science Based Targets initiative
TypeVoluntary
Scope
Gold standard for science-based targets in land-use sectors. Required by CDP and institutional investors.
Effective
Investor-Driven
Framework
Pesticides Act 1968 & CIB Registration
Central Insecticides Board
TypeMandatory
Scope
Registration, manufacture and use of all pesticides. Residue limit compliance for export markets.
Effective
Active
Framework
NABARD Climate Finance Guidelines
NABARD / RBI
TypeVoluntary
Scope
Green and climate finance products for agri-value chain — blended finance, FPO green bonds.
Effective
Emerging
Framework
EU Farm to Fork Strategy
European Commission
TypeEmerging
Scope
Pesticide reduction targets and sustainability labelling requirements affecting Indian agri exporters.
Effective
2025–2027
Framework
SEBI ESG Rating for Agri
SEBI / ESG Rating Providers
TypeMandatory
Scope
ESG ratings for listed food companies used in institutional portfolio screening. Land use and water key factors.
Effective
2024 Active
Mandatory — legal obligation
Voluntary — investor / buyer expectation
Emerging — regulatory pipeline
Our Approach
How we work with agri-food companies
A four-phase programme built for the complexity of farm-to-fork supply chains — from field-level data collection to BRSR assured reporting and EUDR traceability system implementation.
Step-02
GHG Inventory & SBTi FLAG Target-Setting
AFOLU emissions inventory covering enteric fermentation, soil N₂O, land conversion and energy use in processing — aligned to GHG Protocol and SBTi FLAG methodology. Deforestation-risk mapping to plot level.
8–12 Weeks
Step-03
EUDR Traceability & Farmer Engagement
Geolocation and plot-level traceability system implementation for EUDR-covered commodities. Smallholder ESG capacity building, fair-price mechanism design and agricultural good practice programmes.
Ongoing
Step-04
BRSR Assurance & Export Market Reporting
Annual BRSR Core assured disclosure with simultaneous output for CDP, Rainforest Alliance and EU buyer ESG questionnaires — from a single verified data infrastructure.
Annual Cycle
Typical ESG Maturity Uplift
EUDR Traceability94%
BRSR Core Score84%
Water Intensity Reduction↓28%
Farmer ESG Coverage72%
Deforestation-Free Supply Chain91%
Certifications We Deliver
ISO 22000FSSC 22000Rainforest AllianceSBTi FLAGBRSR AssuredEUDR Ready
Our Services
What we deliver for agriculture & food industry
Pulled from all three practice areas — Strategy & Advisory, Finance & Risk, and Governance & Social — filtered for agriculture & food industry priority.
Priority
EUDR Traceability System Implementation
Plot-level geolocation mapping, supply chain traceability platform deployment and EUDR due diligence statement preparation for soy, palm, cattle, coffee and cocoa exporters to the EU.
Priority
BRSR Core Assurance for Food Companies
End-to-end BRSR Core data collection, KPI calculation (water intensity, GHG, smallholder metrics), narrative drafting and third-party assurance for SEBI-listed agri companies.
SBTi FLAG GHG Inventory & Target-Setting
AFOLU emissions inventory (enteric fermentation, soil N₂O, land conversion) and SBTi FLAG-aligned science-based target development with investor-grade verification.
Smallholder Engagement & Livelihood Programme
FPO ESG capacity building, fair-price mechanism design, agricultural good practice training and social KPI data collection from smallholder farmer networks.
Water Audit & Irrigation Efficiency
Farm and processing facility water footprint assessment, irrigation efficiency benchmarking, basin-level water risk mapping and water stewardship programme design to AWS Standard.
Agri Climate Finance & Green Bond Structuring
NABARD green fund access, FPO green bond structuring and sustainability-linked credit facility design for climate-smart agriculture investments — with ESG KPI ratchets tied to verified outcomes.
ESG Benchmarking
Where do agriculture & food industry companies stand on key ESG metrics?
Agriculture & Food Sector ESG Performance Index
Supply Chain Traceability Depth
14%
84%
76%
Water Intensity Reporting Quality
22%
91%
82%
AFOLU GHG Inventory Coverage
8%
78%
69%
Smallholder ESG Data Coverage
6%
71%
63%
India Average
Global Best Practice
ESG Astraa Clients
EUDR is the most urgent export market risk
Indian exporters of soy, palm derivatives, coffee and spices without plot-level traceability by December 2025 face export suspension to EU markets. Preparation lead time is 9–12 months minimum.
SBTi FLAG targets unlock institutional capital
Agri companies with validated SBTi FLAG targets are accessing NABARD, IFC and DFI climate finance at 30–50 bps below market rates. The targets themselves are now a financial instrument.
Smallholder data is the data gap that matters most
Global commodity buyers and ESG investors are demanding plot-level social data — fair price, training hours, income levels. Companies relying on estimated averages are failing supplier ESG audits.
Water risk will define the next credit cycle
Lenders are beginning to apply basin-level water risk overlays to agri loan books. Companies in water-stressed basins without water stewardship programmes face increasing credit risk premiums from 2025.
Free Resource
Agri-Food ESG Readiness Guide for Indian Exporters & Processors
A practical guide to EUDR compliance, SBTi FLAG target-setting, BRSR Core disclosure and NABARD climate finance access — with an India-specific implementation timeline.
What's Inside
- EUDR compliance checklist — commodity by commodity
- SBTi FLAG methodology primer — what AFOLU emissions to measure
- BRSR Core KPIs for agri-food — data collection templates
- NABARD climate finance — eligibility and application guide
- Smallholder ESG data collection toolkit — field-deployable templates
Agriculture & Food Industry Checklist
PDF Document
Key Areas Covered
Environment Social Governance
Get your Agri-Food ESG Assessment
Our agri-food ESG team will assess your EUDR exposure, BRSR Core gaps and SBTi FLAG eligibility — and give you a clear priority action plan within 2 weeks.
No commitment · EUDR & SBTi FLAG specialists · 2-week turnaround