Cargills helps rural communities with scholarships, farmer support
View(s):Cargills (Ceylon) PLC, as part of its annual Community Development Programme (Rural) recently distributed Rs 1.2 million worth of scholarships and other benefits to the Boralanda farmer community. According to a media release by Cargills, the largest beneficiaries were the smallholder farmers in the region with a land extent less than an acre.
Accordingly, scholarships were awarded to students who have passed Grade 5 scholarship examination while a further 68 students from families facing economic challenges were also granted learning material. Cargills Food City also provided HNB Farmer Insurance schemes for 100 farmers free of charge.
Picture shows a scholarship being offered to a successful student.
The scheme entitles famers to death, accidental death, disability and permanent disability covers as well as hospitalisation benefits, the release said.
This programme which is partnered with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), was established in Wangiyakumbura in the Uva province in 2011 when the company set up its first collecting centre in Boralanda, the release indicated.
The Collection Centre brings together the produce from five villages in Boralanda.
Ranjith Upali ,Manager- Agribusiness, Cargills stated at the event that every time the company buys a kilogram of vegetables from the farmers in Boralanda, 50 cents goes back to a community development fund and annually the funds are utilised for scholarships and projects that would develop the quality of life of this community.
In addition to the granting of scholarships and the learning material, a resting hut with chairs was donated to the Farmer Society while agricultural equipment was distributed among farmers. The release said that meeting the request of these farmers, water tanks were provided to five schools in the region and material for the development of community road network.
The release indicated that Haridas Fernando, Deputy General Manager- Cargills Agribusiness, has said that they have developed a similar fund at their collection centres in Thanamalwila, Jaffna and Moneragala.
He has indicated that their method in establishing partnerships with farmer communities is not simply to be a buyer, but their agribusiness team works directly with farmers to overcome challenges, providing knowledge and resources to help the farmers’ success.
He has said that across Sri Lanka thousands of farmers have participated in Cargills productivity and product quality enhancing programs and they have committed to expanding this programme to a larger farmer base islandwide to help improve efficiencies and increase incomes, thereby enhance agriculture and improve livelihoods, the release concluded.
(QP)