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Grand Fertilizer to expand

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Grand Fertilizer Pvt. Ltd. will expand its supply of Plant-Prod water soluble fertilizer imported from Canada to niche markets with the company’s recently established subsidiary Gevisi Fertilizer Pvt. Ltd.

The company announced last week its plans to expand their fertilizer to the country’s Northern and Eastern regions to harness the vast market potential in these areas.

Grand Fertilizer Managing Director Sripali Ahangama said they have claimed the rights from the Canadian based pesticide and agricultural fertilizer manufacturer, Plant- Prod Co. Pvt. Ltd., to become the exclusive distributer and the marketeer of the Plant-Prod range of water soluble fertilizer in Sri Lanka .

“The total market size is 6,000 metric tonnes per year. Grand Fertilizer is responsible for contributing a market share of 15 percent with our granular fertilizer imported from Holland,” he said.

Ahangama said , Grand Fertilizer was formed in 2007 to capitalize the granular fertilizer market in Sri Lanka. “Our vision is to be the best strategic agricultural input provider in Sri Lanka,” he said.

“That is why we introduced our subsidiary Gevisi to exclusively handle the department of water soluble fertilizer manufactured by Plant-Prod, which has a worldwide reputation for its high yielding properties.

“The revolutionary range of soluble fertilizer caters to nurseries, green house plant productions, home gardening in addition to fertilizing cash crops such as potatoes, tomatoes and onions,” he said.

Explaining their market strategy, he said , they are going to encourage even the urban dwellers to grow some vegetables in their pots in attics or balconies,:.

“We are also going to market value added quality compost for vegetables and other crops. We are planing to increase the production capacity of our compost plant at Aandi Ambalama. Our annual compost volume is 300 metric tonnes as at present,” he said.

He also said, they are targeting the up country market with their granular fertilizer imports from Holland.

“This is high quality granular fertilizer which has a balanced content of nutrients. We are contributing to the national economy and the GDP by saving 20 percent of the Government fertilizer fund by marketing manuel fertilizer, he said. Grand Fertilizer is engaged in doing marketing consultancy and human resource management for private companies and Government institutions including the National Lotteries Board.

Analog Forestry carbon trading:

CCC makes sustainable difference

Carbon Conservation Company (CCC), a firm set up to offer ‘carbon footprint consultancy and an ecologically responsible alternative to current carbon offset trading’, launched of its first vintage of voluntary carbon credits.

Company CEO Subramaniam Eassuwaren invited ‘concerned companies and individuals who wish to obtain carbon offsets that are more than mere licences to pollute’ to consider investing in the company’s ‘sustainable carbon credits’.

The firm specialices in helping companies calculate their impact on the environment including their carbon and water footprints.

After helping them monitor their footprints, they then offer the companies ecologically sound credits to offset what they cannot reduce.

They are now working with several boutique eco hotels to reduce their carbon footprints while also advising individuals and organizations on how to manage their lands in an environmentally sound manner.

Conservation Carbon Company (CCC) carbon credits are earned through a special process known as Analog Forestry, which helps preserve bio-diversity and benefits local communities even as it sequesters carbon through the planting of trees. Analog Forestry is the brainchild of Dr. Ranil Senanayake, a famous biologist, conservationist and champion of the world’s rainforests, who is celebrated for the discovery of several new plant and animal species and who founded the International Analog Forestry Network in 1996. Dr. Senanayake serves in a senior capacity on the board of CCC.

Unlike traditional carbon-capture projects, which tend to be monocultural and industrial in nature, Analog Forestry preserves natural habitats and bio-diversity by making them economically useful to local communities.

The system is financed by trading carbon credits earned by planting trees and other forest vegetation to promote and extend these habitats.

‘Thriving, ecologically self-sustaining forests are one of the best ways of keeping Earth - and ourselves - healthy,’ said Dr. Senanayake. ‘Analog forestry offers, the best way forward. It’s a complex setup, involving businesses in the West, traditional communities in poor countries and a lot of ecological and forestry expertise. These factors interact to the benefit of all.

CCC seeks to extend and replicate existing forest coverage over a selected region, picking a threatened ecosystem and building on it.

DSL Awards Night 2009 in Bangkok

Douglas and Sons Pvt Ltd. (DSL), will once more reward its best performing auto parts dealers by hosting them to a four-day holiday in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2009.

The culminating event of this trip will be the spectacular “DSL Awards Night 2009” where more than 300 dealers of DSL auto parts division will be recognized for their outstanding contribution during the year 2008.

This will be the third time DSL pays tribute to their high performing dealers in an overseas venue. DSL held their first overseas Awards Night for auto parts dealers in Bangkok, in December 2007, which created history as the first ever awards ceremony held in overseas for Sri Lankan auto parts dealers.

In this year’s tour, the dealers and their families will enjoy an all paid stay in a star class hotel in Bangkok. The dealers themselves will experience the extravagance of a spectacular awards ceremony which will be filled with many entertainments like Thai cultural dances, magic shows, laser shows and Sri Lankan music.

DSL has arranged so many other entertainment events for all four days, including safari and amusement park tours, shopping tours, famous calypso show and dinner aboard a cruise ship.

DSL will feature a popular Sri Lankan group of musicians, specially flown to Bangkok to entertain the dealers with Sri Lankan music, throughout the tour. Also, it is arranged to add popular Sri Lankan cusine to all food menus, with a bid to provide the dealers that unmatched Sri Lankan taste, while they are in Bangkok.

Ceylinco Insurance opens three branches in North

Ceylinco Insurance - General, will consolidate its presence in the North with the opening of three new branches in Manipay, Achchuweli and Chunnakam. The branches will strengthen the company’s northern network by increasing the total branches in the area to 20. Ceylinco Insurance - General currently operates the industry with over 240 branches spread throughout the island.

Ceylinco Insurance- General, Deputy Chairman Ajith Gunawardena said: “We plan to keep in step with the rapidly expanding development currently carried out by the Government in the war affected areas. Ceylinco Insurance - General is the only company offering the people of the area, settlement of claims on the spot in Vehicle and Non Motor insurance, which for them is a superior service they can make use of.” “We have always had a strong presence in the north and the east - Ceylinco Insurance believes that every individual has the right for protection and will provide insurance solutions to people of all walks of life.

“Our branches will provide the customers of north and the east, the families, businesses and the emerging SME sector, the opportunity to make use of our outstanding level of service.” Gunewardena said.

The customers of these areas will now have instant access to a 24 X 7 state-of-the-art call centre of Ceylinco Insurance - General.

Counterfeit ‘Dettol’ plasters seized

A large stock of Counterfeit Dettol plasters were seized from a shop in Pettah by a team of officers of the Criminal Investigations Department. This action was initiated on a complaint made by Reckitt & Colman (Overseas) Ltd together with Reckitt Benckiser (Lanka) Ltd the sole agents for Dettol Plasters in Sri Lanka. The representative of the company confirmed that the seized counterfeit Dettol plasters were of inferior quality and had no medicinal value.

The shop owner was arrested and released on bail. When the matter was called on 25.09.09 at the Magistrate’s Court of Colombo, court permitted the CID to keep the seized goods in their custody. The matter is currently fixed for 27.11.09 and the CID is conducting further investigations.