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| Monday, 13 October 2003 |
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Trincomalee correspondent A farmers' company to operate the seed processing centre at Kiliveddy in the Muthur division was founded recently with 90 farmers (shareholders) representing the farming communities from the agriculture ranges of Muthur, Toppur, Sampoor, Kiliveddy, Munampodiwaddai and Echchilampattai. A seven member Board of Directors was formed with two Muslims and five Tamils. After formal registration of the farmers' company the first board meeting is being scheduled to be held on October 15. It is the common understanding of the farmers that economic development and agri business are preconditions for peace and stability. Some other business options were given to the company as the proceeding activities such as rice flour and rice milling, canning and exporting of honey, make better use of surplus milk, applying preservation techniques for available surplus fruits and marketing, large scale cultivation of papaw and banana and cashew business etc. Up to the end of September shares at a value of Rs. 299,000 were paid in by 149 individual farmers. The paid in share capital is to be used as working capital. The German funded Integrated Food Security Programme (IFSP) will capitalise the value of the seed clearing and sorting machine, which was supplied in the year 2002. The MPCS Muthur had made a full functioning building available which is to be rented to the farmers' company. Altogether Rs. 2.5 m were invested and an additional amount of Rs. 1.6 m was made available to kick-start seed paddy production. The centre was officially opened in September 2002. During the year 2003 season 25,000 kg of seed paddy had been cleaned and sorted for certification. Farmers visited seed processing companies in Anuradhapura and Akkaraipattu. The farmers' company will operate the seed processing centre in a commercial manner and aims at expanding business into a number of related fields such as seed paddy and consumption paddy, agro-chemicals and other products. |
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