A great example of corporate social responsibility
Grapes and children education by Indian company Euro Fruits



India is often depicted as a land where children's work exploitation is an usual habit, but this is not the real face of this country, according to Mr. Nitin Agrawal (see picture below), Managing Director of Euro Fruits Private Ltd.


Mr. Nitin Agrawal

Euro Fruits is India's leading exporter of table grapes toward the European markets since 1993. Il works as a partner of the Dutch importer Timerfruit (Rotterdam). Just next its recently built (2005) packhouse in Sangli, Euro Fruits has now opened the first English Medium School in this area.



As Mr. Agrawal says: "It was our dream and desire to see that children of our farmers and workers get good quality education. Currently there are 80 students in this school with six teachers. It is our desire and wish to give the kids best quality education. I am really feeling proud that these kids who would never ever have even thought of getting education are now learning well by an English school".



The first courses have started last October 2008 with 5 classrooms. A nursery for very young children is also available in the building. "More than 400 people is working by Euro Fruits packhouse in Sangli - Mr. Agrawal explains - and 50 of them are women who often had problems for children care during working time. The area around Sangli has a poor life quality and the first great town, Mumbai, is too far. So we decided, in association with locals, to open the school".



"Give a fish for somebody to eat and you have fed him once. Teach him how to do fishing and you have fed him for life. That is the nobility of the cause of education.I am feeling proud that Euro Fruits name will be in the minds and hearts of several students and parents for several years at the time when all of us may well be long gone and over", as Nitin Agrawal underlines. "Moreover, for us this is the best way to show that our workers are as our family: we represent a team, where everybody joins the same difficulties and the same joys. We do care for our workers' safe and health: for example we have assigned easier tasks to older people, especially to women, and we directly provide medical assurance to those who need it".



Euro Fruits is GlobalGAP, BRC, ISO 22000 & IFS certified company. Euro Fruits owns and operates from two packing stations based at Nasik and Sangli, the two most prominent table grape regions in India. Both the facilities have been rated as the best in class on global standards.

Regular interaction with global post harvest technologists, produce publications, market players keeps Euro Fruits at the edge of best practices in process management. Euro Fruits is well rewarded and awarded by the Government of India for its exemplary and consistent export performance with the grant of "Star Exporter" status.

Click here for a photo gallery.


Contacts:
Nitin Agrawal
Managing Director
Euro Fruits Private Limited
301 Vikas Commercial Centre
Next to Basant Cinema, Dr C G Road
Chembur, Mumbai 400 074
India
Phone: +91 22 2555 7838
Fax: +91 22 2555 5080
Mobile: +91 98 200 33751
E Mail: nitin@eurofruits.com
Website: www.eurofruits.com

Publication date: 3/18/2009
Author: Rossella Gigli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com

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