Agricultural sector rejuvenated :
Cargills empowers rural communities
Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI
Enhancing youth skills, reducing regional disparity and reducing the
cost-of-living are the three main principles of Cargills.
It has empowered rural communities and SMEs by supporting them with
technical inputs, training and facilitating credit to the rural
community who in turn have rejuvenated the agricultural sector, Cargills,
Director Human Capital Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navarathna told Daily News
Business.
He said that Cargills has employed over 6,000 young people in 139
outlets and 80 percent of them are from rural areas, and their monthly
income goes back to those areas.
They receive advanced professional training at the non-profit Albert
A.Page Institute of Food Business to develop their skills. These
initiatives seek to bridge the regional economic disparity, thereby
bringing about an equitable distribution of wealth.
Dr. Navaratne said that the strong sense of social responsibility has
spurred Cargills Food City to be modelled on a sustainable platform that
has developed backward integration to such a degree that it has
benefited many rural agricultural communities and entrepreneurs.
Cargills has also enhanced farmer productivity and set new benchmarks
for the industry by encouraging product quality offering competitive
rates for agricultural produce.
Over 10,000 farmers are given training on the latest technology and
technical know-how to develop the soil and reduce cost of production.
Selected farmers are also trained to produce seeds locally with a better
profit expectation.
The children of farmers are also motivated and encouraged to take to
farming with pride and dignity.
Dr. Navaratne said that 50 tons of vegetables and 30 tons of rice are
sold daily at Cargills Food City outlets through 10,000 direct links.
A World Bank report has revealed that the quality of items at
Cargills Food City outlets is better and lower in price than the prices
at the village pola.
This is because the farmers deliver their harvest only to the
company’s collection centres in Norochcholai, Nuwara Eliya, Batticaloa,
Hanguranketha, Tanamalwila, Tambuttegama and Wattala without any wastage
unlike at the village pola.
Cargills opened its 139th outlet in Rajagiriya yesterday marking the
first of 100 more Cargills Food City outlets that will be set up across
25 districts in the next three years, understanding consumers for their
greater convenience and affordability. |