Carrefour begins CSR project in India

Carrefour has started a corporate social responsibility project (CSR) in India to train thousands of farmers in global farming practices, Mint reported. Reportedly around 500 families, across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have already benefited from the initiative. The retailer is now firming up plans to take the initiative to Maharashtra, where it will focus on the Pune region. The retailer wants to set up its first cash and carry outlets in Delhi and Pune by the end of 2009. "By the end of the year, the company will have covered more than 1,500 families, after which it will expand the scope of the CSR initiative. Among other things, the CSR team also teaches them negotiation techniques and how to negotiate the best price for their produce. The group has also employed Indian crop experts who are able to talk to the farmers in their own language, so that the message is conveyed effectively. The foreign experts, who have been brought, also address problems that the farmers face at ground level," the source added.

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