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.