Introduction
E.I.D.- Parry (India) Limited (“Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the Farmer Connect mobile application (“App” or “Platform”), a closed-access application made available exclusively to registered farmers associated with the Company’s sugarcane procurement operations.
This Privacy Policy explains how the Company collects, uses, stores, and protects the personal information of farmers who use the App. It is published in compliance with:
- Section 43A of the Information Technology Act, 2000;
- The Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 (“SPDI Rules”); and
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”), to the extent applicable and as notified.
By accessing or using the App, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the App immediately.
This Privacy Policy forms part of, and must be read together with, the Terms and Conditions governing use of the App. Capitalised terms not defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Terms and Conditions.
Who This Policy Applies To
This Privacy Policy applies to all farmers (“you” or “Farmer”) who are granted access to and use the Farmer Connect App. Access to the App is restricted to authorised users with credentials provided by the Company. It is not available to the general public and no self-registration is permitted.
No payment functionality exists within the App, and the App does not facilitate any financial transactions.
Information We Collect
We collect two categories of information:
Information You Provide
When you log in to the App, you are required to enter your Aadhaar number. An OTP is sent to your registered mobile number for authentication. The Company does not store your Aadhaar number or OTP beyond the authentication session. Authentication is facilitated through a secure OTP-based verification process.
Information Collected Automatically
When you use the App, we may automatically collect the following:
- Device information: operating system version, hardware and software specifications, available storage, app version, and unique device identifiers (such as device serial number or UDiD on iOS devices);
- Network information: IP address and mobile network connection details, used solely to ensure service delivery and prevent unauthorised access;
- Location data: GPS coordinates, accessed only when you grant permission, used exclusively to provide localised weather updates and to tag crop disease photographs for analysis; and
- Camera access: photographs of crop diseases, captured at your option for the purpose of disease diagnosis and advisory. These photographs are used solely for real-time analysis and are not stored on Company servers.
Access to location and camera is optional. The App will function with limited features if such permissions are not granted. No information collected through these permissions is shared with third parties or used for any purpose other than those stated above.
Push Notification Tokens
The App uses Firebase Cloud Messaging (“FCM”) to deliver push notifications to your device. FCM collects and processes a device-level token (FCM token) for the sole purpose of routing notifications to your device. No personal data is stored or shared through FCM beyond what is technically necessary for message delivery. FCM is operated by Google LLC and is subject to Google’s own privacy and data processing terms.
How We Use Your Information
The information we collect is used exclusively for the following purposes:
- Authentication and access control – to verify your identity and grant authorised access to the App;
- Cane field activity notifications – to send timely reminders and crop calendar updates relevant to the sugarcane crop cycle;
- Weather updates – to provide localised weather information based on your location;
- Crop disease advisory – to analyse photographs of crop diseases and provide actionable recommendations;
- Customer and complaint management – to display your account and transaction details and to address farmer complaints;
- Service improvement – to monitor App performance and improve user experience; and
- Legal compliance – to meet applicable regulatory obligations.
We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any commercial purpose unrelated to your engagement as a Company-registered farmer.
Disclosure of Your Information
The Company does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers: with third-party technology service providers (such as Firebase/Google for push notifications) strictly to the extent necessary to operate the App, under appropriate data processing agreements;
- Legal obligation:if required by law, court order, or a direction from a competent regulatory or government authority; and
- Business operations:within the Murugappa Group, to the extent necessary for legitimate internal administrative purposes, subject to equivalent data protection standards.
Any disclosure of personal information is limited to what is strictly necessary for the stated purpose.
Why Do We Collect Personal Information?
EID collects personal information to enable us to manage and develop our business and operations, including:
- to establish, maintain, and manage relations with you so that we may provide you with updates on EID via our Newsletters, Press releases, reports, and such.
- to receive from your messages with queries or feedback and act upon your concerns/issues to improve your overall experience.
- Our aim is enhancing your overall experience with respect to our website by improving and improvising, on the basis of better understanding your personal information.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
The App may use session-level identifiers (analogous to cookies in a web context) to assign a unique session ID to your device session. This is used solely to maintain session continuity and does not collect personal information beyond what you have provided. No cross-session tracking or behavioural profiling is conducted.
Data Storage and Security
The Company implements reasonable security practices and procedures as required under Section 43A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the SPDI Rules, including appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
Specifically:
- Device information and network data are used for access control purposes and are not retained beyond the active session unless required for security logging;
- Location data is used in real time to fetch weather and disease information and is not persistently stored by the Company;
- Crop disease photographs are processed for analysis purposes only and are not stored on Company servers; and
- Push notification tokens are retained for the duration that you use the App, to enable continuous notification delivery.
While we take all reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We request you to exercise appropriate caution when using the App over unsecured networks.
Your Consent is Important to Us
It is important to us that where we collect, use, or disclose your personal information we have your consent to do so. Depending on the sensitivity of the personal information, your consent may be implied, deemed (using an opt-out mechanism), or express. Express consent can be given orally, electronically, or in writing. Implied consent is consent that can reasonably be inferred from your action or inaction. For example, when you access the Website and/or accept our products or services, we will assume your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information for purposes related to your acceptance and use of those products or services, or for other purposes identified to you at the relevant time.
Typically, we will seek your consent at the time that we collect the personal information. In certain circumstances, your consent may be obtained after collection but prior to our use or disclosure of your personal information. If we plan to use or disclose your personal information for a purpose not previously identified (either in this Privacy Policy or separately), we will endeavor to advise you of that purpose before such use or disclosure.
Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required by applicable law.
General account and transaction records associated with your farmer profile will be retained for the duration of your active relationship with the Company and for a reasonable period thereafter, consistent with applicable statutes of limitation and operational record-keeping requirements under Indian law.
Upon cessation of your association with the Company’s sugarcane operations, your personal data will be deleted or anonymised in accordance with our internal data governance procedures, unless retention is required by law or for pending legal or regulatory proceedings.
Your Rights
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you;
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to applicable legal retention requirements; and
- Withdraw consent to the processing of your personal information, where consent is the basis for processing.
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us using the details in Section 12 below. We will respond to verifiable requests within a reasonable timeframe, and in any case within the period prescribed under applicable law.
Third-Party Links and Services
The App may contain links to or integrate with third-party platforms or services. This Privacy Policy does not govern the data practices of such third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with. The Company is not responsible for the privacy practices of external platforms.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
The Company reserves the right to update or amend this Privacy Policy at any time. Any material changes will be communicated to you through the App or by other appropriate means. Your continued use of the App following the notification of changes will constitute your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.
We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed of any updates.
Grievance Redressal
In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the SPDI Rules, the Company has designated a Grievance Officer to address any concerns or complaints relating to the processing of your personal data:
Grievance Officer
E.I.D.- Parry (India) Limited
Dare House, 2 NSC Bose Road, Chennai – 600 001, Tamil Nadu, India
Email: [helpdesksug@parry.murugappa.com]
Any grievance submitted to the Grievance Officer will be addressed within one month of receipt of the complaint, in accordance with applicable law.
Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India. Any disputes arising in connection with this Privacy Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.