The Coca-Cola Foundation provides funding to Swadesi for the project ‘Unnati Aamrit’ in Odisha

The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) announced the launch of ‘Unnati Aamrit’ in the state of Odisha. It is a sustainable agriculture project under its flagship program Project Unnati which is part of the ‘Fruit Circular Economy initiative.

Project Unnati Aamrit, which is funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation has been initiated in partnership with Swadesi, a rural development organization. Project Unnati Aamrit is in line with the Government of India’s priorities towards doubling farmers’ income.

The project was inaugurated in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha in the presence of Ganeshi Lal, governor, Odisha.

Sukanta Panigrahi, project director, Swadesi; Rajesh Ayapilla, director, CSR and Sustainability, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, along with Aditya Panda, senior manager, Fruit Circular Economy, Coca-Cola India, and South - West Asia, also attended the event with local representatives.

With the launch of Unnati Aamrit the Coca-Cola Foundation and SWADESI aim to increase mango productivity in Odisha, through the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). It aims to build the farmer’s capability and skill them, with global best practices such as ultra-high-density plantation (UHDP), to achieve a substantial increase in quality, productivity, and profitability per unit of land, in turn acting as a catalyst to help India in achieving self-sufficiency in mango production. The project will also significantly enhance livelihoods and help increase the incomes of mango farmers.

Ganeshi Lal, governor, Odisha, said, “The state of Odisha is deeply supportive of the Central government’s call for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. The Coca-Cola Foundation and Swadesi’s ‘Unnati Aamrit’ sustainable agriculture initiative will further give an impetus to self-resilience in Eastern India. The Coca-Cola Foundation’s Project Unnati has transformed the lives of farmers across 11 states in India over the past decade, and it fills me with pride that the 12th state for their interventions is Odisha. Unnati Aamrit is the first-ever ultra-high density mango demonstration project in the state, and I applaud the efforts of the two organizations towards uplifting the agri-community in Odisha.”

The project’s objective is to enhance the incomes of marginal farmers through increased mango productivity, and rejuvenation of existing orchards in economically backward aspirational districts as earmarked by the Government of India.

Saadia Madsbjerg, president, The Coca-Cola Foundation, said, “Farmers are the backbone of the Indian horticulture system. At The Coca-Cola Foundation, we are proud to use our resources to fund initiatives that aid in the farmers’ upliftment through Project Unnati. This financial support from The Coca-Cola Foundation helps identify, plan and support interventions in sustainable agriculture to increase farm productivity and support farmer livelihoods.”

Sukanta Panigrahi, project director, Swadesi, said, “With the launch of ‘Unnati Aamrit’ in partnership with The Coca-Cola Foundation, we are hoping to create a positive impact on thousands of mango farmers in the state of Odisha. We are humbled to come together with an organization of esteemed repute like The Coca-Cola Foundation, which is working for farmer communities by promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Unnati Aamrit will not only enable them with advanced horticulture solutions but also help empower them to substantially increase their incomes.”

Project Unnati Aamrit will help empower over 10,000 farmers in Odisha, spreading across 10,000 acres of land across key farming districts in the state, for the production of mangoes. The project aims to improve agricultural, economic, social & environmental sustainability by promoting good agricultural practices and providing video training to farmers to enhance capacity building on post-harvest management and market linkages.

Project Unnati aims to support the Indian agri-ecosystem by enhancing farming efficiency, strengthening forward linkages, and building food-processing capacity in the country. The project has completed a decade of successful implementation of the project in India. In the past ten years, Project Unnati has helped empower and enable over 350,000 fruit farmers across 11 states in India, with Odisha being the twelfth.