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Nestlé, Agri Dept sign 2 MoUs on water saving, improvement of Chaunsa

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Lahore

Nestlé Pakistan and the Punjab Agriculture Department have signed two MoUs enabling the two partners to collaborate for improving agricultural sustainability for the Chaunsa Mango sector and another on Water Resource Management.

For the Chaunsa Project, Nestlé Pakistan shall take on board Mango Research Institute, Multan as a research partner. The company hopes that for the access to latest research in the mango sector as well as best farm practices will enable them to build on the work it is already doing with mango farmers.

Under the Water Resource Management Project, Nestlé will partner with the Water Management Wing of the Department for a program which offers a 60% subsidy to farmers who employ High Efficiency Irrigation Systems (drip irrigation) and other water conservation techniques, technologies and practices. Nestlé will bear the 40% share that the farmer owes to the government. The pilot project is spread over 10 acres, located around Sheikhupura district. The company wants to extend it to 50 acres by the end of 2017.

Commenting on the collaboration, the Agriculture Secretary, Mr. Muhammad Mahmood said, “More than 90% of water usage is for Agriculture and in order to successfully tackle the impending water shortage, we need to encourage farmers to become mindful of how they use water. Furthermore Chaunsa is one of the best varieties of mango with potential for export. But again, we need to teach farmers how to improve quality and quantity of yield. Nestlé Pakistan is a perfect partner because it is well poised to help us make a difference.”

Mr. Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs, Nestlé Pakistan said, “Our approach to sustainable business, what we call Creating Shared Value, is also in line with United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); in this case the second (Zero Hunger – promoting sustainable agriculture) and the sixth (Clean Water and Sanitation – sustainable management of water). We believe in resolving global challenge through a multi-stakeholder approach and that is what we are doing through these MoUs.”

About Nestlé Pakistan’s CSV Initiatives

Nestlé Pakistan believes in creating shared value (CSV) for the communities in which it operates. The Chaunsa Project was launched in 2013 with a vision to help Chaunsa farmers improve their yield quality and quantity. The identified training areas include pre- and post-harvest horticulture, plant propagation and varietal assessment.

Nestlé Pakistan is also the first company in Pakistan to implement Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard in partnership with WWF. AWS is a standard of sustainable water usage that promotes better understanding through stakeholder engagement, in order to drive best water management practices within and beyond industrial operations.

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