Local sourcing is a key part of HEINEKEN’s partner for growth strategy and supporting the communities in which we operate is a central Company belief. To help financially empower farmers and their communities, we have set an ambitious target to source 60% of our agricultural raw materials locally by 2020. In 2013, we launched the Community Revenue Enhancement through Agricultural Technology Extension (CREATE) programme to accelerate our sourcing initiatives in the region.<br />CREATE is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Cooperative for Rural Development (EUCORD), as well as a number of NGOs. HEINEKEN has the overall responsibility for the implementation of the project and we will contribute more than USD4 million from 2013 to 2017. This Public-Private Partnership approach is an effective way to share expertise and collaborate with local governments to help local farmers to improve their agricultural practices.
