Diageo India Announces The Launch Of Micro Enterprise Initiative To Empower Small Holder Farmers And Reduce Crop Wastage

Nashik, 03 February 2024: Diageo India (United Spirits Ltd), one of the country’s leading alco-bev companies, has launched a unique micro enterprise initiative to empower small holder women farmers in Nashik. The initiative will initially enable 100 small holder women farmers with the skills and resources to tackle crop loss, food waste and ensure sustainable livelihood. In collaboration with Savitribai Phule Ekatma Samaj Mandal (SPMESM) as the implementing partner and S4S Technologies as the technical partner, Diageo India will provide training, financial support and equipment to small holder women farmers to sun dry surplus produce and enable last mile connectivity to the consumers through the food supply chain.

This initiative is aligned to Diageo’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress plan which provides support to local sourcing communities to build economic and environmental resilience. In addition, it will contribute towards United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 which aims to halve per capita global food waste and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. The program will focus on skilling women with the right methodology to cut, air-dry, and solar-dry vegetables like tomatoes, onions and ginger. This produce will then be supplied to hotels, restaurants and ingredient manufacturers to enable consistent supply for the food industry and stable income for these women micro entrepreneurs by creating a complete value chain.

"At Diageo India, our commitment to Pioneering Grain-to-Glass Sustainability is integral to our Society 2030: Spirit of Progress ESG plan. This collaboration with SPMESM and S4S technologies exemplifies our unwavering commitment to empowering our communities while working with industries and stakeholders in agricultural supply chain to create tangible and lasting solutions. This initiative marks the inception of India's contribution to our global commitment of supporting small-holder farmers by enabling them with opportunities to secure their livelihood.”

Jagbir Singh Sidhu, Corporate Relations Director at Diageo India,

Dr. Pratibha Phatak, Founder Trustee, SPMESM, remarked on the collaboration, expressing, "We are delighted to partner with Diageo India on this transformative initiative to empower women while devising sustainable solutions to address food and crop wastage issue in Maharashtra. The potential for positive impact is immense, and we look forward to making a meaningful difference together."

In addition, Diageo India has undertaken several water replenishment projects through construction of check dams, desilting of ponds and improved sanitation and hygiene by building toilets in schools. The company continues to create positive impact on the environment and has impacted over 59,000 individuals across 23 villages in Maharashtra.

About Savitribai Phule Mahila Ekatma Samaj Mandal (SPMESM)

Started in 1994 as a wing for social projects of the well-known Health Organization of Central Maharashtra- Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan's Dr Hedgewar Hospital (www.hedgewar.org), Savitribai Phule Mahila Ekatma Samaj Mandal (SPMESM) is today a trusted Not-for-profit of Maharashtra.

After a journey of almost 3 decades, SPMESM today is known for meaningful, need-based developmental projects with extraordinary results! With 90 projects in Health, Education, Skill Development, Natural Resources

Management, Women Empowerment, and Sustainable Development; SPMESM has a strong presence in 900+ villages in 12 Districts and 80+ Slums in 2 cities.

About Diageo India

Diageo India (United Spirits Ltd) is among the country’s leading beverage alcohol company and a subsidiary of global leader Diageo Plc. The company manufactures, sells and distributes an outstanding portfolio of premium brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black Dog, Black & White, VAT 69, Antiquity, Signature, The Singleton, Royal Challenge, McDowell’s No1, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan and Godawan, an artisanal single malt whisky from India. Headquartered in Bengaluru, our wide footprint is supported by a committed team of around 3000 employees, 37 manufacturing facilities across states and union territories in India, a strong distribution network and a state-of-the-art Technical Centre. Incorporated in India as United Spirits Limited (USL), the company is listed on both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

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