Translations

GRAMEEN YUKIGUNI MAITAKE Ltd.(GYM) : Social business in Bangladesh (Mung bean Project)

7. Community involvement

Community development

Sector Agriculture

Year 2012

Country Bangladesh

Transmitter

Context

65% of the population in Bangladesh is farmers. They do not have many opportunities to earn cash income and suffer from malnutrition. Yukiguni Maitake (YMC) is a leading Japanese agro-company renowned for its quality production of mushroom and “moyashi” sprout. In order to solve the problem of poverty in Bangladesh by cultivating mung beans used for the ingredient of “moyashi” sprout, in 2010, Grameen Yukiguni maitake (GYM) was established as a joint venture with YMC, Grameen Krishi Foundation, and Kyushu University. GYM is the world’s first company in the agricultural sector which was organized to realize Yunus Social Business.

Objectives

Win-Win Benefits

- Bangladesh: Job creation at rural area, Supply low-priced mung bean for the local people, Introduce the high tech know-how from Japan.

- Japan: (Regarding to mung bean) Sustainable and secure supply for Japan by using agrichemical check-system. Avoid the price rising risk.

APPROACH

Grameen Yukiguni Maitake (GYM) found Bangladesh as a country to be a good partner to cultivate and harvest good quality mung beans in large quantities.

- In Bangladesh, farmers sometimes do not get the proper price from the whole sellers. GYM will ensure a stable and higher price than the local market price. This will encourage farmers to grow good quality mung beans.

- GYM will provide our technical know-how in order to increase the harvest. It is very important to use good quality and appropriate pesticide and fertilizers.

- GYM as a social business organization will make profit by selling mung beans to Japan at a higher price. But the profit will be invested to the farmer’s family in the rural area for education, healthcare and improvement of nutrition.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

- Approx. 1,500 ton of mung beans have been harvested in 2012.
- Approx. 300 ton of mung beans will be exported to Japan, and used for the ingredient of “moyashi” sprout.

Benefits

- More than 7,500 farmers have been engaged in cultivating and harvesting in rural area.

- Bangladesh government has evaluated our result of harvesting this season, and requested us to give priority in the southern coastal area influenced by climate change.