Ambuja Cements : Under the aegis of Ambuja Cement Foundation, Shivam Milk Producer Co-operative Society bags Himachal’s Best FPO award

Press Release

Under the aegis of Ambuja Cement Foundation, Shivam Milk Producer Co-

operative Society bags Himachal's Best FPO award

• Joint effort of 12 villages; Recorded annual turnover of Rs. 74 lakhs in 2020-21

Mumbai, June 23rd 2021: Shivam Milk Producer Co-operative Society Ltd., supported by Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), was conferred with the 'Best Working FPO' Award under the category of 'Aggregation and Marketing'. The award was presented by the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur at the Himachal Pradesh State Credit Seminar by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NAB- ARD).

Shivam Milk Producers Co-operative Society was launched in 2015 under the aegis of the Ambuja Cement Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Ambuja Cements Ltd. What started off as a Self-Help Group (SHG) with only 40 women members, has transformed into a 439-strong Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), including an equal number of male farmers, who collect milk, agriculture in- puts, cattle feed and also provide agriculture equipment on rent.

"It is a moment of pride to witness the growth of Shivam Milk Producers Co-operative Society and see it being recognized as the Best Working FPO in Himachal Pradesh" said Neeraj Akhoury, CEO & MD,

Ambuja Cement.

"These recognitions are a testament to our consistent efforts towards women empowerment and community development, especially in the areas of financial independence, resource management and skilling in agriculture. The community's success directly translates to ACF's success and it strengthens our resolve and commitment towards rural communities" said Pearl Tiwari, Director and CEO, Ambuja Cement

Foundation.

ACF has consistently encouraged the establishment of SHGs to improve the socio-economic status of women community members and Shivam Milk Producer Co-operative Dairy Society was born out of this determination of the foundation. ACF recognised the economic potential of community members owning domestic animals, and helped them leverage it for income-generating practices such as livestock rearing and milk processing.

Shivam Milk Producer Company is a registered FPO with an annual turnover of Rs. 74 lakhs owing to the enhanced efficiency and economies of scale. Initially, the total milk collection was only 40 liters per day but today it has reached approximately 400 liters per day

Under this program, community members can contribute a membership fee of Rs. 500 to become a part of the FPO. Their business activities include market linkage of milk, providing veterinary facilities, and agricultural equipment on rent such as maize seed drills, threshers, and solar spray pumps. The group also recently installed a bulk milk chilling machine and started producing and selling milk products like cheese, cream, paneer, ghee, butter and curd.

Shivam Milk Producer Company is among the 14 Farmer Producer Organizations supported by ACF in providing capacity building to strengthen organizational development, governance and program opera- tions.

About Ambuja Cement Foundation:

Ambuja Cement Foundation is a grassroots pan-India implementing organisation that harnesses the power of partnerships - between communities, Government and other like-minded corporates and NGOs

- to help solve pressing community problems and to foster prosperity.

For almost three decades, ACF has created significant impact. A full-fledged Research and Monitoring Unit, along with numerous external, independent studies show significant change - in income levels, health indicators and overall harmony and happiness. Its work has spread beyond its core villages, and by working hand in hand with like-minded organisations, the Foundation aims to significantly impact the pressing issues currently inhibiting the country.

About Ambuja Cement:

Ambuja Cements Ltd., a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim, is among the leading cement companies in India. Ambuja Cement has a cement capacity of 29.65 million tonnes with five integrated cement manufacturing plants and eight cement grinding units across the country. Ambuja Cement has provided hassle-free,home-building solutions with its unique sustainable development projects and environment -friendly practices since it started operations. The Company has many firsts to its credit - a captive port with four terminals that has facilitated timely, cost-effective, cleaner shipments of bulk cement to its customers.

To further add value to customers, the Company has launched innovative products like Ambuja Plus, Am- buja Cool Walls, Ambuja Compocem and Ambuja Kawach. These products not only fulfil important customer needs but also help in significantly reducing carbon footprints.

For more details, visit http://www.ambujacement.com

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