Mapro Visit 5th and 12th March 2022
Objective of the Visit:
- To understand the growth of business and Sources of Finance.
- See the factory plant of Mapro.
- Access to credit and constraints faced if any.
- Impact of Loans on performance of Company (production capacity, produce diversification, sales, revenue, technology, net profits, employees).
- To learn about the day-to-day workings of a particular industry and understand its operational issues.
- Bonding with students and teachers
Details of the activities
The trip took place on 5th March 2022 and 12th March 2022 SY BSc Batch and FY MSc Batch visited on 5th March, and TY BSc Batch and SY MSc Batch visited on 12th March. The buses left the college gate at 6:45 am, and we reached Mapro around 9:30 am. Students took a tour of Mapro, where they learned about how the products are made in the factory. They showed us a comprehensive film on the history of Mapro from which we got to know how Mapro grew in all these years. They started by making jams from fruits, and as they started getting recognition for their products, the business flourished all over India. Mapro started producing more edible products like chocolates, drink mixers, and snacks. Moreover, the company gave us free sample products for a trial, and we also got complimentary Ice cream at the Mapro Garden Cafe. The students had an insightful interaction with Mayur Vohra, the owner of Mapro.
After leaving Mapro, we proceeded to have lunch at Dhanashri Mangal Karyalay, Wai, where we interacted with Farmer Krishna Bhilare (Vice President all India Strawberry Grower association on Strawberry Cultivation in Panchgani and Mahahableshwar region. Students learned about strawberry farming. Then we headed to the Table Lamp Point, Panchgani, where all the students enjoyed the view, clicked photographs, and visited the nearby caves. We returned from the trip around 10 pm.
Pictures of The Visit
Feedback by the participants
According to the pie chart, we can see that the Mapro industrial trip was successful as students’ felt it was satisfactory and an excellent experience. Students described the trip as informative and very insightful. It gave students an idea about the business world and its operations. It was also an excellent opportunity to learn about strawberries and organic farming. The students provided comments-
“The factory visit to Mapro made us imbibe a couple of insights about the whole journey of this entity. We got to understand their operations and work closely.”
“The trip has been informative and beautiful. I learned about the pros and cons of taking business as a career. Then I also learned about the strawberry firms.”
“Understanding that business can be evolutionary in design and can be an organic process without the need for external infusions of cash.”
“A first-hand look at manufacturing and processing methods at Mapro, understanding of division of labor and capital, generally upbeat and fun experience”
“Understood the thought process of Mr. Vohra and his journey and the essence of industrial visit to inculcate practical knowledge.”
“- The means through which businesses operate, acquire credit, work, and also how they coped with covid, improved things post covid. • Agricultural methods of cultivation, irrigation and water facilities, modern technology, plant breeding from abroad, strawberry-related cultivation and storage facilities required, farmer’s associations, means of acquiring credit, government subsidies, FPOs, and digital information being beneficial to farmers for better ground knowledge, etc.” “It was an excellent experience to understand a company's functioning and talk to the farmer about his experiences. Also was a good bonding experience with the batch mates.”
“It was best to know how certain things that we buy so quickly have a deep history, how it reaches their customers, how people are involved in the whole process, and that nature is Godly. It was inspirational.”
“The trip was refreshing; I loved Varun sir's energy especially had; it made all of us enthusiastic about learning. The interaction with the Mapro owner and later with the farmer was insightful; I learned a lot more about how strawberries are grown, the conditions, and the opportunities they still require to reach their maximum output.”
“Opportunity to understand various practical applications of subjects taught in the classroom. Additionally, an insightful discussion with the strawberry farmer, Mr. Krishna Bilare, was an insightful addition.”
“The Mapro food park helped me understand the operations and production in a large factory and how different their credit view is. Their story of struggles and success was very different to learn, which would not have been possible without the interaction. On the other hand, interaction with the strawberry farmer was an eye-opening experience wherein we got to know stuff in the farming sector, which was far from our expectations. Trips like these help us decide on our future careers and practically understand the economy of anything.”
These comments indicate positive feedback from the majority of the participants. The suggestions given by the participants were that they really enjoyed the trip and they are looking forward to such trips in the future.
