French company helps Indian farmers get better yield
May 11th, 2010 - 9:29 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, May 11 (IANS) French hypermarket chain Carrefour Tuesday launched a programme on the outskirts of the city to train farmers to increase the yield of their crops it will eventually buy for its cash and carry stores.
The first such store will come up in Seelampur in Delhi in a few months’ time.
Yannick Douville, Carrefour director, opening a “green house nursery” at Palla, in north-east Delhi, said the farmers were taught how to improve the quality of their produce and increase their productivity.
“Using some special techniques, farmers can get their produce 15-20 days earlier than the usual. We in turn will buy these fresh produce from the farmers directly at a much better price than what they usually get from the middlemen,” said Douville.
Such nurseries, he said, are good for growing cherry, tomatoes and bell peppers. Each nursery can be used for seven years.
“The concept of green house nursery is very good. The hybrid seeds cost us around Rs.10,000 and we cannot afford to lose them to bad weather — this nursery will help us protect the crops,” Raj Kumar, a farmer, told IANS.
Carrefour is planning to set up similar nurseries in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Jean Noel Bironneau, general manager of Carrefour group India, said the initiative is aimed at establishing the company’s wholesale cash and carry business in which vegetables will be directly supplied to business enterprises such as restaurants, kirana stores and guest houses.
- French firm organises camp for Haryana farmers - Oct 29, 2009
- Carrefour opens second cash and carry store - Nov 28, 2011
- French retailer Carrefour opens first wholesale store in India - Dec 30, 2010
- Drought like situation plays spoilsport for crops in Himachal - Jun 07, 2010
- Shopkeepers protest but shoppers don't mind foreign retailers (Afternoon Lead) - Dec 01, 2011
- Battle ahead for government in allowing foreign retailers - Aug 29, 2010
- Shops shut in India but shoppers open to foreign retailers (Roundup) - Dec 01, 2011
- Jharkhand farmers dump tomatoes on roads - Dec 25, 2010
- FDI in retail: Time India removed its blinkers (Comment) - Dec 06, 2011
- West Bengal to set up Kisan Mandis - Mar 27, 2012
- SPAR to open 24 more hypermarkets in next two years - Jan 28, 2011
- Medicinal herbs replace cannabis growing in Himachal - May 11, 2011
- Tomato exports may be banned as prices zoom - Dec 23, 2010
- India opens doors to global retail chains (Roundup) - Nov 24, 2011
- Top retailers seek 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail - Aug 12, 2010
Tags: bad weather, bell peppers, business enterprises, carrefour, east delhi, french company, french hypermarket, fresh produce, green house, group india, growing cherry tomatoes, guest houses, hybrid seeds, indian farmers, jean noel, middlemen, nurseries, palla, uttar pradesh, wholesale cash