Three years ago, businesswoman Manisha Dhatrak noticed farmers in Nasik, India, throwing away crops by the roadside. While these rotted the same produce was being imported, so she set up a plant to process the local crops and approached Unilever.
Manisha sources from many smallholder farmers, training them – with Unilever’s help – in sustainable agriculture practices to increase their yields and improve their crop. Her company, Varun Agro, is now one of Unilever’s key strategic suppliers.
Supporting smallholder farming is the most effective way of stimulating economic development and reducing poverty. The initiative contributes to Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, targets of improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and expanding opportunities for women across its value chain, while at the same time providing a reliable supply of high-quality ingredients for its ketchup production lines.
The programme works with 3,000 farmers, giving them access to ongoing contracts, better quality materials, training, and tools such as drip irrigation. This helps them significantly increase their yields. Drawing on Unilever’s scale and expertise in sustainable agriculture and Manisha’s ambition, the two parties have developed a joint business plan to help more local farmers.
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