????????????????????????????????????

Mahindra inaugurates state of the art Grape Packhouse Facility in Nashik

Jaipur, January 9, 2019: Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd. (MASL), a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, part of the USD 20.7 billion Mahindra Group, today inaugurated its state-of-the-art Grape Packhouse facility in Nashik. The facility was inaugurated by Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd

The Grape Packhouse facility is one of its kind in India and features the latest technologies that are available in post-harvest management of grapes. Mahindra has over 14 years of experience in grapes harvest and post-harvest management and today it is one of the leading exporters of grapes from India. Its latest Grape Packhouse facility will be instrumental in maintaining the freshness of the grapes, through an effective cold chain, from its arrival into the facility till it reaches customers in overseas markets.

According to Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., “The inauguration of this modern Packhouse is another significant step for our Agri Business. This facility is a testament to the ‘Make in India’ initiative and will further the cause of Delivering FarmTech Prosperity by helping Indian growers meet stringent global quality standards”.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new facility in Nashik, Ashok Sharma, MD & CEO, Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd., said, “We are delighted to bring this state-of-the-art packhouse for all the stakeholders in the grape value chain. This model facility will go a long way in building the confidence of international customers. With avant-garde refrigeration, processing and packing technology, this packhouse will enable us to ensure the highest quality supplies as per global standards.”

The Grape Packhouse facility can pack 90 tonnes of grapes per day and has been certified by international bodies such as BRC (British Retail Consortium), Fairtrade, SMETA (SEDEX), and the RFA (Rainforest Alliance) besides domestic certification by FSSAI and APEDA. The facility is housed within 6.5 acres of land with a total build up area of 75,000 sq ft. It has 12 precooling chambers and 280 MT of cold storage capacity.

Sustainability is at the very core of this Mahindra Grape Packhouse facility. Energy efficient LED lights have been installed at all places and there is also a provision for captive solar power generation. A rain water harvesting system has been installed to collect and store upto 7 million litres of water. Amongst other sustainable solutions, there is an in-house sewage treatment plant which provides usable non-potable water for myriad purposes including gardening.

About Mahindra Agri Solution:

With a vision to Deliver FarmTech Prosperity, Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd. closely interacts with farmers to improve their produce, quality and productivity by providing the latest advances in farm technologies and agricultural know how. It also helps farmers by linking them to the market to provide better returns for their quality produce, thereby improving their lives. With its wide portfolio of inputs viz. Seeds, Crop Care, Micro Irrigation Services backed by high quality advisory through Samriddhi outlets, Mahindra Agri Business has successfully helped Indian farmers increase their productivity over the years. At the same time, it has a strong outputs business consisting of Fruits and Vegetables, and Dairy where again close links with the farmers allow it to provide products that stand for quality and purity.

Having grown 12 fold in the last 6 years, Mahindra Agribusiness has become one of India’s largest grape exporters, launched its premium fresh fruit and dairy brand Saboro and has also established a ‘Farm to Fork’ presence across the Agri value chain. In recent past, it has received the APEDA Gold certificate for being the largest exporter of grapes from India. It also hosts the pioneering Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Awards which recently celebrated its eighth edition and has attracted over 3,00,000 agricultural innovations and success stories till dat

About Mahindra

The Mahindra Group is a USD 20.7 billion federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world’s largest tractor company, by volume.  It also enjoys a strong presence in agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, components, defense, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, speedboats and steel, amongst other businesses. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over 2,40,000 people across 100 countries.

Learn more about Mahindra on www.mahindra.com / Twitter and Facebook: @MahindraRise

About Manish Mathur