French retail giant Carrefour is proceeding with a corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan in India to train thousands of farmers in modern farming practices, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Carrefour has already trained about 500 families in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during the pilot phase of the project, the Journal quoted an unnamed source as saying.
The company is planning to extend the project to Maharashtra, focusing on the Pune region. Carrefour aims to set up its first two cash-and-carry outlets in Delhi and Pune by the end of the year.
“By the end of the year, the company will have covered more than 1,500 families, after which it will expand the scope of the CSR initiative,” the Journal’s source said.
“Among other things, the CSR team also teaches them negotiation techniques and how to negotiate the best price for their produce.”
“The group has also employed Indian crop experts who are able to talk to the farmers in their own language, so that the message is conveyed effectively. The foreign experts, who have been brought, also address problems that the farmers face at ground level.”
