Mahindra ShubhLabh Services enters into Joint Venture with Belgium based Fresh Produce Company, UNIVEG

Mahindra ShubhLabh Services enters into Joint Venture with Belgium based Fresh Produce Company, UNIVEG

·         Mahindra ShubhLabh Services & UNIVEG create 60:40 JV

·         To offer high quality fruits to Indian & Overseas consumers

·         To enhance farmer prosperity by increasing productivity and better price realization

·         To establish high quality supply chain for fresh produce

Mumbai, April 14, 2014: Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd. (subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.) part of the USD 16.7 billion Mahindra Group, today signed a joint venture agreement with UNIVEG, a Belgium based Euro 3.2 billion Fresh Produce company.   

The joint venture, between Mahindra and the UNIVEG Group will have Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd (MSSL) and UNIVEG holding 60 and 40 percent equity respectively in the company. The JV will focus on developing fresh fruit supply chain to provide high quality fruits that meets the needs of both the domestic and international markets. Other than grapes JV will focus on select key fruits.

Commenting on the joint venture, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director and President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “In line with our vision of delivering Farm Tech Prosperity, Mahindra ShubhLabh was set up to help farmers increase their productivity and enable them to obtain greater value for their produce. It is a matter of pride for us that we have today signed this JV with a global leader in fresh produce.”

He added, “This JV will enable both companies to leverage each other’s strengths thereby providing a win-win for farmers and end consumers alike. Going forward, we plan to strengthen our partnership by further improving the fresh produce supply chain through various interventions and investments across India.”

Mr. Hein Deprez, Executive Chairman & Major Shareholder, UNIVEG Group mentioned, “We consider this association the right mix of market presence and farmer connect. Mahindra’s reach,

together with our proven technical expertise across 6 continents and 32 distribution centers in Europe will be beneficial for all stakeholders”.

The other dignitaries who were present for the signing ceremony were Mr. Francis Kint – Global CEO, UNIVEG Group, Mr. Ashok Sharma, Chief Executive, Agri & Allied Business, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, and Mr. Vikram Puri, CEO, Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd.

The newly formed joint venture, will benefit from the global expertise of both companies wherein UNIVEG will provide technical knowhow and best practices in quality control, post-harvest handling of fresh produce, ripening process, and farm agronomy practices and procedures to meet international quality standards.

The JV will further help farmers improve their productivity as well as price realization. Moreover, MSSL will assist in arranging contract farming agreements across India while leveraging its domestic marketing & distribution network and providing the required local licensing and support services.

The JV will also focus on the modernisation of the domestic fruit supply chain in order to respond to the demand for high quality produce, improve yield and lower wastage levels and build grower productivity thereby improving their returns. It will focus on improving ripening, packaging, & storage processes to offer better fresh produce to the discerning Indian and Overseas consumers.  Under the JV high quality fruits will be imported from across the world and position Indian fruits in the global markets by building efficient export oriented supply chains, for certain select fruits.

An efficient logistics and supply chain facility is imperative in the food value chain as major losses in fresh produce occur during the post-harvest period. As fruits and vegetables contain nearly 65 to 95 percent water they not only loose moisture by 10-15 percent but also face a substantial drop in quality & appearance in the absence of an appropriate cold chain and distribution network.

Setting up state of the art logistics and supply chain facilities by this JV in strategic locations across India will result in customers getting better quality fresh produce on time.

In November 2013, MSSL launched its fresh fruit brand, Saboro, for the health conscious Indian consumer offering a wide range of fresh fruit. Mahindra is the first Indian corporate to offer such a wide variety of branded fruit to the consumer. Fruits from this JV will also be marketed under the Saboro brand.

SMC Capitals Ltd was the Advisor to Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd. (MSSL) for this transaction.

About UNIVEG Group

Based out of Belgium, the UNIVEG Group is a worldwide supplier of fresh produce including fruits & vegetables, flowers & plants and fresh logistics. A € 3.2 billion enterprise, UNIVEG currently has a network of 32 distribution centers in Europe and a global customer base spread across 6 continents. Founded in 1987, the company employs more than 8,000 people globally and also operates in agro based sectors such as transport and logistics. For more info please visit- www.univeg.com.

About MSSL

Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd. (MSSL) was incorporated in 2000 in order to better serve the Farm Equipment Sector’s extensive base of rural customers. MSSL, currently works with farmers from the Nashik, Sangli, Latur and Solapur regions of Maharashtra for grape production and export operations. It not only procures fresh produce from farmers, but also provides end to end extension services – including agronomy, certification, grading and packaging, etc. The company enables farmers to produce the best quality grapes and gives them access to international markets. Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd (MSSL) started grape exports in 2005. As on date, MSSL is one of the leading grape exporter from India. This was possible through continuous efforts by providing technical support to farmers to improve exportable quality and quantity. To strengthen the business connect and improve the yield of exportable grapes, MSSL started its signature ‘Khet Se Khaliyan Tak’ (KSKT) initiative to build right use, application of various fertilizers, pesticides and growth regulators to improve farm productivity. Most of the farmers engaged with the KSKT initiative have reported productivity increase of ~50% in the last three years. MSSL products meet the most stringent European food safety standards.