The Avashya Foundation, the CSR arm of Allcargo
Group, recently organised its Annual Mango Festival as part of its Maitree
initiative, which works for farmers’ sustainable livelihood and environment
conservation.
The festival
was organized on May 18 and 19, 2023 at Allcargo headquarters in Mumbai. This
marks Allcargo’s fifth year of celebration of exquisite flavour, enticing
fragrance and delectable taste of the king of fruits.
The annual Mango Festival has been
instrumental in promoting sustainable growth and development in the tribal
regions of Maharashtra.
Maitree,
working to replenish the green cover of the planet, has so far facilitated the
planting of over 850,000 fruit-bearing saplings, and aims to plant 1 million
saplings by the end of this year. Maitree empowers local farmers by providing
them with seedlings of mango, guava, cashew, lemon and teak. The planting drive
has led to significant improvement in productivity and living standards of the
farmers.
Dr Nilratan Shende, CSR Head at Allcargo Group,
said, "Through Maitree we have been able to touch the lives of over 90,000
people, providing them with not just sustainable livelihoods but also a sense
of empowerment and self-reliance. Seeing our farmers prosper and the
environment flourish -- that's the true success of Maitree. And the Mango Festival is a celebration of
this spirit of growth and resilience".
The Mango Festival is testament to the initiative’s
success, celebrating the bountiful produce of their sustainable farming. It
provides a platform for over 18,000 farmers to showcase and sell their produce,
encouraging a thriving farming community, emphasised a release.