Hindustan Coca-Cola together with Jain Irrigation to invest Rs 50 crore

Coca Cola together with Jain Irrigation is planning to invest Rs 50 crore in a project aimed at boosting mango cultivation in the country.

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the Indian bottling arm of the global beverages company and Jain Irrigation will invest on a project 'Unnati Phase II’ that will benefit the farming community.

"Jain Irrigation System and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages have joined hands through Project Unnati to help farmers adopt Ultra High Density Plantation technique to boost mango yield," shared the joint statement.

The first Phase of the project was launched in 2011 with an investment of USD 2 million. Under it, 200 demo farms have been established and about 18,000 farmers have been trained till date.

In the second phase, about 25,000 farmers from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka would be enrolled into the project to adopt the Ultra High Density Mango Plantation technique to boost mango yields for a 10 year period.

"Jain Irrigation Systems and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages will be investing Rs 50 crore into project Unnati by 2024," it said.

Though India remains as the world's largest producers of mango, the average yield per hectare is one of the lowest in the world.

Production in India estimated at six metric tonnes per hectare while it is 16 metric tonnes per hectare in Brazil.

The Ultra High Density Plantation is commonly practiced for mango cultivation worldwide, combined with other sustainable agricultural technique.

Project Unnati is aimed at large-scale adoption of Ultra High Density Plantation in the country. The project is to be scaled up over 10 years.