Hayleys, USAID in partnership to revitalise farming in East and Uva

Sri Lanka’s Hayleys Group will partner The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in a ground-breaking pilot project to revive and advance the potential for linking farmers in two poorer districts to commercial agriculture, the two organizations announced last week.

The six-month pilot project which commenced April 1 will benefit 120 farmer families in the districts of Ampara and Moneragala through the introduction of the latest knowledge, techniques, and inputs for the cultivation of three cash crops of high revenue potential, gherkins, pineapples and jalapeno peppers on 50 acres of land that have either been fallow or been previously used for subsistence farming.

The objective of the project is to motivate farmers in these areas, some of which have been affected by conflict, to embrace modern agricultural practices and to empower them to substantially improve their incomes from agriculture by switching to cash crops that are in demand, a statement from Hayleys said.

USAID/Sri Lanka’s Director, Rebecca Cohn, said the Hayleys Group had been selected to implement the project on the basis of the company’s expertise in the cultivation, harvesting, packaging and marketing of such crops, its successful outgrower programs and the company’s historic and enduring affinity with agriculture.

During her opening remarks at the signing of the grant agreement Director Cohn said: “Our partnership with Hayleys, that we are creating today, will help build a value chain that will bring sustainable economic growth to those in serious need in the Eastern and Uva provinces.” She went on to add, “(This) is how people move up the path from poverty to prosperity.”

The Hayleys agri business companies HJS Condiments Ltd and Sunfrost Limited account for 34 per cent of the country’s exports of fruits and vegetables. The Hayleys Group is the sole exporter of gherkins from Sri Lanka and the second largest in Asia, processing more than 8,000 tons a year. It accounts for 50 per cent of the market for bottled pickles in Japan and is a major supplier to renowned international brands such as McDonalds, Burger King, Unilever and Heinz.

Rizvi Zaheed, the Hayleys Group Director who heads its Agriculture & Agri Business cluster said Sunfrost and Hayleys would provide extensive inputs ranging from soil testing and farmer training on technical, growing and commercial aspects to seeds, suckers, fertilisers and agro chemicals, expertise on modern cultivation, harvesting, packaging and transportation methods and assistance to find markets through out-grower arrangements. These inputs would be provided on credit to the selected farmer families, and USAID would provide matching support for these and other infrastructure needs of the project.

“This is one of the most exciting projects in the agriculture sector as it seeks to bring modern agriculture and successful practices employed in Hayleys’ agribusinesses to a long neglected area of our country,” Zaheed said.