Food and beverage giant Danone announced a €20 million investment to expand its specialised nutrition facility in Lalru, Punjab, over the next four years. Additionally,͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ is͏͏ launching͏͏ a͏͏ three-year͏͏ programme͏͏ to͏͏ train͏͏ approximately͏͏ 5,000͏͏ smallholder͏͏ dairy͏͏ farmers͏͏ in͏͏ Punjab͏͏ in͏͏ sustainable͏͏ farming͏͏ practices,͏͏ aimed͏͏ at͏͏ increasing͏͏ milk͏͏ yields,͏͏ enhancing͏͏ their͏͏ incomes,͏͏ and͏͏ improving͏͏ cattle͏͏ welfare.
Training͏͏ Programme͏͏ for͏͏ Smallholder͏͏ Dairy͏͏ Farmers:
In͏͏ a͏͏ statement,͏͏ Antoine͏͏ de͏͏ Saint-Affrique,͏͏ CEO͏͏ of͏͏ Danone,͏͏ said,͏͏ “India͏͏ is͏͏ a͏͏ key͏͏ growth͏͏ market͏͏ for͏͏ Danone.͏͏ We͏͏ are͏͏ dedicated͏͏ to͏͏ fostering͏͏ inclusive͏͏ growth͏͏ for͏͏ all͏͏ our͏͏ farming͏͏ partners͏͏ and͏͏ supporting͏͏ local͏͏ manufacturing.͏͏ This͏͏ programme͏͏ aligns͏͏ with͏͏ our͏͏ ongoing͏͏ commitment͏͏ to͏͏ local͏͏ farmer͏͏ communities͏͏ in͏͏ India.͏͏ At͏͏ Danone,͏͏ we͏͏ believe͏͏ that͏͏ our͏͏ success͏͏ is͏͏ intertwined͏͏ with͏͏ that͏͏ of͏͏ our͏͏ farmer͏͏ partners,͏͏ and͏͏ we͏͏ must͏͏ collaborate͏͏ closely͏͏ with͏͏ them͏͏ to͏͏ create͏͏ shared͏͏ value.”
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ No͏͏ global͏͏ relevance͏͏ without͏͏ a͏͏ strong͏͏ presence͏͏ in͏͏ India,͏͏ says͏͏ Danone SA͏͏ CEO
The͏͏ farmer͏͏ development͏͏ programme͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ implemented͏͏ in͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ BAIF͏͏ Development͏͏ Research͏͏ Foundation.͏͏ It͏͏ will͏͏ concentrate͏͏ on͏͏ animal͏͏ health,͏͏ manure͏͏ management,͏͏ livestock͏͏ management,͏͏ and͏͏ community͏͏ engagement.
Vikram͏͏ Agarwal,͏͏ Chief͏͏ Operations͏͏ Officer͏͏ of͏͏ Danone,͏͏ stated,͏͏ “We͏͏ source͏͏ specialised͏͏ nutrition-grade͏͏ milk͏͏ from͏͏ more͏͏ than͏͏ 5,000͏͏ small͏͏ dairy͏͏ farmers͏͏ across͏͏ 100͏͏ villages͏͏ near͏͏ our͏͏ Lalru͏͏ plant.͏͏ Our͏͏ partnership͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ through͏͏ inclusive͏͏ growth,͏͏ which͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ crucial͏͏ in͏͏ helping͏͏ our͏͏ farmer͏͏ partners͏͏ enhance͏͏ their͏͏ yields͏͏ and͏͏ livelihoods͏͏ while͏͏ increasing͏͏ the͏͏ volume͏͏ of͏͏ high-quality͏͏ milk͏͏ available͏͏ for͏͏ Danone͏͏ as͏͏ we͏͏ continue͏͏ to͏͏ invest͏͏ in͏͏ expanding͏͏ capacity͏͏ at͏͏ the͏͏ plant.͏͏ Together,͏͏ we͏͏ are͏͏ fostering͏͏ mutual͏͏ growth͏͏ for͏͏ a͏͏ brighter͏͏ future.”
