Walmart donates Rs50 lakh to TN's cyclone-hit farmers

The Walmart Foundation, a division of the world's largest retailer Walmart, has donated $1,00,000 (about Rs50 lakh) to farmers in Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, who were severely affected by cyclone Thane last year.

International humanitarian organisation CARE and Walmart Foundation are currently engaged in cashew value chain at the district affected by the December 30 cyclone.

Through the donation, the Walmart Foundation and CARE aim to restore livelihoods for farmers involved in the cashew processing sector in Cuddalore, Walmart Foundation said in a statement.

"Cuddalore has major clusters of large-scale cashew farming and processing activities. The sector employs several thousand marginalised women in cashew cultivation. Through this initiative, we hope to rebuild the capacity of cashew growers and ensure positive, sustainable benefits for families," Bharti-Walmart Managing Director and CEO, Raj Jain, said.

Approximately 3,600 people including 900 women will benefit from the project, scheduled to be completed by March 2013, it said.

The cyclone which devastated eastern India last year, claimed 47 lives, affected around 700 villages, particularly farmlands and rendered many homeless.