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DateLine Wednesday, 16 April 2008

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Tea with DA Perera:

Spicing up business

Taking any business to the fifth generation successfully is not an easy task. When it comes to a traditional product the importance of taking it from generation to generation add more value to it.

Spices are traditional products that Sri Lanka boasts of in the global spice market supplying a wide variety of spices.

It has a long history and in ancient times they were as significant as medicine , preservatives and perfumes and were placed at a high value.

The essential oil export business of D.A. Perera is such a precious industry that has brought fame and foreign currency to the country. Managing Director of Eoas Organics D.A. Perera is a giant in the food and flavours industry today and he shared following views with the Daily news Business.

Q: How did you enter into this business initially?

A: I hail from a traditional family in the South of Sri Lanka and my ancestors had initiated cinnamon bark oil business way back in 1894.Since then it grew step by step from generation to generation.

I took over from my father who was a member of the forth generation in the business. After my tertiary level education I became a school teacher but gave it up later and entered the business. I entered into spice oleoresin business on my own as EOAS in 1986.

I took a tremendous effort in developing essential oils and oleoresin business to bring it to the level at which it stands today.

Q: What are the facilities and technology you used bring the products to the international standards?

A: Talking about the facilities our R and D activities are totally committed to developing products and state-of-the- art agro technology to protect the environment and at the same time controlling yield losses whilst contributing to a consistent crop pattern.

Our basic strength lies in our efforts to preserve nature and to prevent atmospheric pollution caused through application of hazardous agro chemicals by carrying out organic farming practices under the supervision of Control Union of the Netherlands.

We also manage a large out grower network of farmers for different types of organic spices in spice growing areas and possess a number of organic spice plantations of its own which helps the company to forge a long lasting relationship with the growers and to procure raw materials that ensure total conformity with the specifications of the end products.

We have CO2 extraction facility as well which is highly a technical process.

Equipment operating under high pressure transforms carbon dioxide which is normally a gas at atmospheric pressure into a fluid with enhanced solvent characteristics.

Q: What do you feel about coming to this field today?

A: I am very proud about it because this is an industry which has a huge potential in the international market. We have only explored 25 per cent of its potential .

So there is lot of room for us to grow from strength to strength. More than anything else the country and people will be benefited finally .

I never export any raw material ,it has always been a value added product, which gave us the maximum return. Our export value stands at Rs. 500 million today.

Q: What are the barriers that you have come across on this journey?

A: I started with a small capital but did not have many barriers. Laws should be flexible if we are to develop the economy of the country.

High cost of electricity and production are other barriers. We enjoy BOI facilities for ten years.

Q: What are your plans for 2008?

A: To purchase a high tech processing plant worth of Rs 200 million to Kesbewa this year and to develop the industry by introducing new products and increase growing the number of plants helping poor people. I have a 300 acres of spice land but that is not enough. We support the farmers to grow according to our guidelines and we purchase their harvest at a higher price. This process will be continued.

I want to make Sri Lanka self sufficient with plants required for the industry and have plans to grow 125 acres in the eastern province with 450 farmers. I export products to Europe and USA.

 

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