Jain Irrigation: Business Modelling with BMGF, Coke and Harvard School

From Haitito Africa, business models are being developed by Jain Irrigation

TheDriving Force:
JISL Chairman Bhavarlalji Jain

JainIrrigation's drip irrigation technology has caught the attention of theHarvard Business School and holds out hope for poor farmers from earthquake-hitHaiti to Africa. 

"In Haitiwe are working with the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation and Coca-Cola for developing a business model for small farmers,"Dilip Kulkarni, President Agro Foods, Jain Irrigation, told IANS on phone fromBoston, Massachusetts.

Kulkarniwhile presenting the company's business model at anagriculture symposium at the Harvard Business School, said: "Wehave developed a technology for mango production in Haiti where Coca-Cola islaunching a beverage called Haiti Hope."

Role played by JainIrrigation in Haiti: To givetechnical support in agronomy, technology of cultivation and in a couple ofyears - start a food processing unit.

Beneficiaries: Coca-Cola says that the project will create opportunity for 25,000 mango farmers andtheir families by developing a sustainable mango juice industry helpfacilitate Haiti's recovery.

Good word spread fast: "We have now been invited by Africa,"said Kulkarni detailing ongoing efforts to replicateits business model in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Swaziland and Uganda overthe last six months. The company recently signed a MOU with the KenyanIrrigation board.

With Kulkarni came two farmers from Maharashtra to share their experiences and present their success story in using technology foragriculture .

This is a bigleap forward for Bhavarlalji -  who had started his journey in 1963with a meager 7000 rupees (a saving of three generations), and for 15 long yearshad sold kerosene on a pushcart and marketed agro-products in Jalgaon - finally graduating to become the world's second largest drip irrigationcompany with 146 offices worldwide and a business of 2000 crores.

(Forarticle published on June 08, 2009 onwww.ummid.com, please clickhere)