Chennai, July 24 (IANS) In a joint effort, Coca-Cola India and Jain Irrigation System plan to train around 50,000 mango farmers in ultra high density plantation (UHDP) techniques over the next five years, showcasing the 100 demo farms set up in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district.
A statement by Coca-Cola India Tuesday said Project Unnati, a sustainable agriculture initiative by the company along with Jain Irrigation, has achieved the first milestone of establishing 100 demonstration farms in the pilot phase to train over 50,000 farmers.
"Project Unnati builds on continuous efforts for sustainable agriculture. The UHDP technology for mango plantation is showcased in over 100 acres in the first phase. Given the growing demand for mango worldwide and the packaged juice segment being a high growth category, Project Unnati not only makes good social sense but also makes great business sense for us.
"We are delighted to partner with Jain Irrigation who is our largest mango pulp supplier to lend their expertise towards the success of this project," the statement quoted T. Krishnakumar, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, as saying.
In the pilot phase of Project Unnati, 62 farmers, whose farms aggregating 100 acres, have planted mango saplings using the UHDP technique while also utilising the benefits of drip irrigation to minimise quantity of water used per kilo of mango produce.
The programme will use specialised buses with in-built classrooms to provide on-the-go training in UHDP techniques in mango farming which can help farmers double their mango yields and thus significantly improve their livelihood.
The first phase of the project has an investment outlay of more than $2 million, shared equally between Coca-Cola India and Jain Irrigation.
In traditional mango cultivation, trees are allowed to grow as high as possible; they are pruned minimally or not at all. In UHDP, canopy is maintained in such a way to attain maximum light interception and canopy volume per unit area in early years of plantation. This leads in the orchard to attain full potential in three-four years.
The UHDP would allow 600 trees to be planted in an acre instead of just the conventional 40 trees to an acre.
The gestation period in UHDP is less and the farmer starts earning money in the early years as UHDP orchards start commercial bearing from the third year onwards against the seven-nine years required in traditional planting.
According to Anil Jain, managing director, Jain Irrigation, the mango productivity in farms in India is low despite the country contributing 55 percent of the global mango production.
Going forward the two companies are looking to extend the project to farmers in the Cudappa district in Andhra Pradesh which is known for the "Totapuri" mango variety used in the manufacture of Maaza mango drink.
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