With the support of a planned plantation and community-based green initiative called “Hariyali” in the Basanti Block 24 Parganas South, Skipper Limited (BSE: 538562 | NSE: SKIPPER), in collaboration with Joygopalpur Gram Vikas Kendra (JGVK), has taken a brave step towards empowering the Sundarbans. The Sundarbans, which are made up of twisting streams, thick mangrove trees, and dispersed island communities, have always been a region where vulnerability looms on every coast, yet beauty permeates every tide. Families living here have battled against the odds to make ends meet, and in recent years, the difficulties have gotten worse.

This terrain is now more vulnerable due to global warming, as rising sea levels, frequent cyclones, and the incursion of saline water continue to degrade land and livelihood, leaving families fighting desperately to defend their homes.

The Hariyali project intends to establish a community-based mangrove nursery where 10,000 fruit-bearing plants and 20,000 mangrove saplings will be planted. Although the plants were given to the poorest people in the area, the mangrove forests will help prevent storm waves, coastal erosion, and saline water intrusion, giving vulnerable communities long-term stability. On the other hand, fruit-producing plantations will help households meet their nutritional needs and give the recipients a chance to earn extra money. After two years, about 80% of the plants had survived. In addition to strengthening resilient communities with adaptive ability and nature-based climate solutions, these initiatives support carbon sequestration and the creation of blue carbon.

Speaking about the ‘Hariyali’ initiative, Mr. Sajan Bansal, CMD, Skipper Limited, said, “Humans are meant to understand that the community suffers the most when nature is harmed. We began to realize how quickly this balance was changing, which strengthened our belief that we couldn’t afford to put off taking meaningful action for very long. Our united effort to assist the region in regaining what it has been progressively losing year after year is our Hariyali initiative, which will be JGVK’s partner. By planting mangroves and fruit-bearing vegetation at the community level, we are working to safeguard the local environment and give households the resources they need to survive. At Skipper, we see this as a long-term community investment”.

A great initiative indeed!!

Priyanka Dutta