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Wednesday, 14 December 2011

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'Sri Lankan mindset now positive'

Not only the Sri Lankan infrastructure, but even the living standards of people have improved in the last few years and they look very confident and seem to be full of energy said Nestle Lanka, Managing Director, Alois Hofbauer.

He said that this same positive mindset is seen in their company as well as they have been able to achieve targets and goals that were not possible in the last 20 years. This has prompted the Nestle Headquarters to give them additional finances that were not initially in the pipeline.

Hailing from Austria, he is also a keen learner of the Sinhala language and his pronunciation is near perfect. In addition to taking great pains to promote the Nestle brand aggressively, his CSR initiatives towards the community too is highly praiseworthy.

"Just giving 'a little' back to the society is not enough. We want to give more. We believe that giving a fish to eat for the community is not enough, we believe in giving a fishing rod so that they could earn for a better self-sufficient life- style," he said. "We are happy that people consider Nestle as the local multi national," he said.

This is one reason that Nestle has many chilling centres islandwide and has a mammoth transportation operation to bring fresh milk collected from all over the island to their Pannala factory. "We believe dairy is something that the government should promote more aggressively as it gives an income daily to people and farmers also do not have to depend on the weather," Hofbauer said.

Having worked in the Asian markets for 18 years Alois who also presses his 'Tab' takes time to speak to 'Daily News Business Expat Chit Chat'.

Shirajiv: How was 2011 for Nestle?

Hofbauer: The year was very challenging since commodity prices were very volatile. The certified price of fresh milk was increased from Rs. 30 to 50 and this too was challenging for the company.

However in contrast our markets grew better than what we expected which was good. In the stock market Nestle shares were treated with great respect and investing on them has proved to be a safe bet with people having respect for our shares.

Sri Lanka thankfully has been isolated from the economic crunch in Europe and the government has taken lot of pains to seal the country from these negative impacts. In addition the government's commitment towards providing infrastructure to the country is praiseworthy.

However we may start to feel the European economic crunch next year.

Shirajiv: What are your plans for the next year?

Hofbauer: 2011 was a good year for us and we expect this positive sentiment to continue.

We are planning a Rs. two billion investment programme next year and this would continue. We at Nestle hope to upgrade our coolers and would also open our noodle factory next year.

Shirajiv: What do you see as the gray areas of the country?

Hofbauer: Sri Lanka has a very big population in the North and the East and the government must try to create opportunities for them. I think they should be groomed in the dairy industry as it is a high paying vocation.

Shirajiv: What are the on going CSR projects of Nestle Lanka?

Pictures by Saliya Rupasinge.

Hofbauer: We don't use the word CSR. We at Nestle say that this is creating share value to the community. We believe in building long-term livelihoods for the people and Nestle provide people the right technology and skills guidance so that they could move to the next level. Educating people on sanitation and getting involved in micro financing is one of our priorities. We also have a Nestle Healthy kids programme targeting their nutrition and a series of such programmes targeting chilren and women in the society. Focusing on water treatment too is another area we concentrate on.

Shirajiv: How do you feel about working in Sri Lanka?

Hofbauer: I am happy that I am in Sri Lanka at the right time.

This is the perfect time to be in Sri Lanka as the mindsets of people are very positive. There are tremendous opportunities in Sri Lanka for everybody.

Shirajiv: Can you recall an unforgettable incident in Sri Lanka?

Hofbauer: When I went to open a Milk Chilling Centre in Odusudan last year I was very touched when an elderly farmer came up to me, held both my hands and said,' Sir thank you' This is because they knew that they now have a way of earning money by supplying fresh milk and the farmer knew he and his family could mould their future from it.

Shirajiv: Where would you like to spend your holiday in Sri Lanka?

Hofbauer: I call myself a mountain boy and like the hill station of Nuwara Eliya. However I also like the Yala beach to spend my holiday. I must also comment that I am used to spicy food since I was in China. Since my wife is a good cook thank god I don't have to worry about that department.

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