The CSR arm of Allcargo Group, The Avashya Foundation hosted itsannual Mango Festival as part of its Maitree initiative recently.This initiative is geared towards building sustainable livelihoods for farmers and conserving the environment. The venue for this festival was the Allcargo headquarters in Mumbai. Allcargo celebrated the enticing fragrance, exquisite flavor, and delectable taste of the king of fruits on the 18th and 19th of May 2023, for the fifth year this time. The tribal regions of Maharashtra benefit through the promotion of sustainable growth and development that the annual Mango Festival brings. The plantation of over 850,000 fruit bearing saplings has been planted under the Maitree initiative working towards replenishing the green cover of planet Earth. The local farmers are empowered through the availability of seedlings of cashew, lemon, teak, guava and mango ensured by Maitree. There has been a significant improvement in the living standards and productivity through this planting drive.
Dr Nilratan Shende, CSR Head at Allcargo Group, elucidated the benefits of this initiative and said that through Maitree, they had been able to touch the lives of over 90,000 people, by providing them with sustainable livelihoods and also a sense of empowerment and selfreliance. He further added that seeing our farmers prosper and the environment flourish was the true success of Maitree. And the Mango Festival was a celebration of this spirit of growth and resilience.”
Maitree was also viewed as a platform providing farmers a platform for empowerment leading to building resilience. Challenges posed to the farmers came in the form of several factors, such as,climate change, high cost of seed and fertiliser, inflation, lack of scientific knowledge, reduced income on their produce. The insurmountable losses like loss of livelihood compelled them to migrate to urban areas to seek a source of income. Maitree, helped educate them on seasonal variations, soil and water conservation and climate change risks. This initiative also educates farmers onthe intricacies of setting up nurseries and cultivating high-quality crops. The successful Mango Festival, celebrates the bountiful produce of their sustainable farming. A thriving farming community of 18,000 farmers is encouraged to showcase and sell their produce through this initiative.
Mrs Aarthi Shetty Non-Executive Director and Chairperson of the CSR Committee of the Allcargo Group of companies has impacted communities in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the fields of environmental sustainability, education and healthcare by delivering flag ship projects. The Disha Jeevan project copes with cancer and Maitree works towards the upliftment of underprivileged communities.