Coca-Cola India and Gram Unnati Launch “Project Mango Unnati” to Promote Sustainable Mango Cultivation in Karnataka

Coca-Cola India, in collaboration with Gram Unnati, has recently announced the launch of “Project Mango Unnati,” with an aim to revolutionize sustainable mango cultivation initiative, focusing on the Alphonso and Totapuri varieties in Karnataka.

Project Unnati will collaborate closely with state horticulture agencies such as Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), the Mango Board, the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), and various horticulture departments across different districts.

“Gram Unnati is proud to partner with Coca-Cola India on this transformative project that underscores our commitment to sustainable agriculture and farmer empowerment. By adopting modern practices and focusing on quality, we aim to significantly enhance the livelihoods of mango farmers in Karnataka. Together, we will drive sustainable growth and innovation in mango farming, benefiting farmers and the environment alike.”

Aneesh Jain, CEO and Founder, Gram Unnati

“Farmers are the backbone of India’s horticulture system. With Project Mango Unnati, we aim to elevate the livelihoods of these farmers with advanced horticulture solutions, empowering them to significantly increase their incomes. This aligns with the Government of India’s vision for Atma Nirbhar Bharat, making the agrarian economy self-reliant.”

Rajesh Ayapilla, Senior Director- CSR and Sustainability for Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia

Project Mango Unnati will promote ‘Sustainable Agricultural Practices’ to enhance mango yields and farmer incomes by improving the quality, size, and shelf life of the fruit. This would help farmers achieve better market prices. The project will also demonstrate and facilitate the adoption of rejuvenation techniques for old and senile orchards and high-density plantation (HDP) practices.

Project Mango Unnati will also emphasize on sustainable agriculture through micro irrigation, integrated pest management (IPM), and water conservation techniques such as mulching and rainwater harvesting. Through this initiative farmers will receive training in safe and modern agricultural practices to ensure sustainable farming.

The project will provide crop advisory services, including climate forecasting and crop alert systems, to equip farmers with climate-smart techniques besides enhancing the traceability and sustainability of the crop that will help farmers achieve better returns for their produce. Special training modules have been designed to empower female farmers, promoting gender equality in the agricultural sector.

Gram Unnati is an agri value chain enterprise providing

i) advisory services,

ii) access to high quality inputs at low cost and

iii) market linkages to marginal farmers along with

iv) customized production, logistics and end-to-end quality control of agri produce to institutional buyers.

The company was founded by IIT Kharagpur graduate Aneesh Jain in 2013. He realized that farmers and buyers often fall prey to value traps due to absence of a fully integrated platform. The company has a formidable advisory pool comprising seasoned agri professionals, ex civil servants, and industry body representatives. The company operates through a network of 30 district level centres spread across the nation, helping agro processors source quality cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fruits & vegetables directly from farmers.

Due to Gram Unnati’s unique technology platform to streamline supply demand matching, rich farmer level profiling, agro processor transactional data and 24×7 automated advisory, the company was able to achieve 5x growth during pandemic. Over the years, Gram Unnati has developed a network of 200,000 farmers across 7 states and has strong partnerships with 20+ large institutional buyers including marquee names.