Diageo India expands water-replenishment and regenerative-agriculture work across river basins

Diageo India is scaling watershed and regenerative-agriculture programmes in the Godavari and Yamuna basins, including an 810-hectare paddy pilot in Telangana. The initiatives support water resilience and agricultural raw-material sourcing, with expansion planned across additional states.

— Source publishedTue, 25 Aug, 2026, 11:24 IST·First seen Tue, 25 Aug, 2026, 11:31 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

Diageo India is expanding water-replenishment and regenerative-agriculture initiatives across river basins, supporting crop resilience and key raw-material

Key facts

  • 810 hectares of paddy pilot in Telangana
  • ₹3-3.5 crore investment in water projects
  • 9 districts mapped in the Godavari basin
  • 5 km channel offered for cleanup in Nanded
  • 6 ponds selected for desilting in Maharashtra
  • 60-70% reduction in water use in regenerative agriculture pilot
  • 4 manufacturing units in Maharashtra
  • 2 lakh trees planted in Alwar

Why this matters

Diageo India’s focus on watershed partnerships and lower-water paddy pilots could create opportunities for alliances or acquisitions in agri-tech, irrigation and water-management capabilities across Indian sourcing states.

What to watch

  • Measured water replenishment volumes versus water used at Diageo India operations.
  • Paddy pilot results on yield, irrigation reduction, input costs and farmer incomes across the 810 hectares.
  • Expansion commitments into additional states or additional raw-material crops.
  • Long-term grain procurement contracts or farmer incentive schemes tied to regenerative practices.
  • Water-stress events, groundwater restrictions or crop-price volatility in Godavari and Yamuna sourcing areas.
  • Third-party verification of replenishment and regenerative-agriculture claims.
  • Publish basin-level water replenishment, farmer adoption and water-use metrics tied to the Telangana pilot.
  • Expand partnerships with state agricultural agencies, watershed NGOs and farmer producer organizations in Maharashtra, Telangana and Yamuna-basin states.
  • Link regenerative-agriculture participation to multi-year procurement arrangements, agronomy support and incentive payments.
  • Prioritize drought-tolerant grain varieties, alternate wetting-and-drying irrigation and soil-health interventions for key spirit raw materials.
  • Use verified water and farm-resilience outcomes in ESG disclosures and supplier-risk planning.

Also reported by