International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF) announced its supporting partnership with Mars Wrigley Confectionery (Wrigley) in their initiative to improve the long-term viability of mint farming in India.
The program, called Shubh Mint, is part of AdvanceMint, a larger, global project to advance mint plant science and support mint farmers and their communities. IFF is specifically contributing to the initiative’s “Resilient Communities” pillar by sponsoring a municipal centre focused on youth education and women’s empowerment.
Despite its ubiquity in scores of flavoured products, such as gums, breath fresheners and candies, mint is an often-overlooked crop. Eighty percent of the world’s mint supply is produced in India by about one million smallholder farmers – many of whom depend on mint crops for their income. However, declining crops are putting pressure on already low incomes, putting the farms and their communities at risk.
For the Shubh Mint initiative, IFF is sponsoring a community centre through READ India, an arm of READ Global that expanded to India in 2007 to empower women and marginalized groups and create educational and economic opportunities in rural areas. Through READ India, the Company seeks to empower women in the community with the skills they need to offset the financial pressures caused by challenges to the mint crops.
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