Financial Times

Hambantota next for Mercycorps food fair
By Robert Ingall
Mercycorps are at it again, and this time it’s in Hambantota on June 3 and 4 — Tangalle Town Hall to be exact. The occasion: a food processing fair to help improve the lot of those adversely affected by the tsunami.

As with a similar fair in Ampara District on February 25 and 26, the idea is to bring together local producers and national companies to find out ways of getting business done, where the locals get an insight into the latest manufacturing equipment and advice, while those big companies get to see what equipment is needed or give advice to on how to add value to the local entrepreneurs produce.

The event is funded by JP Morgan and supported by the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) and the National Agriculture Business Centre (NAC).

The fair is Mercycorps’ third, following a construction and the aforementioned fair, both in Ampara. There was to have been one in Trincmalee but it had to be postponed due to security concerns.

Mercycorps, an international humanitarian organisation, is currently assisting affected local food processing entrepreneurs, among other projects, to “re-establish and improve their businesses through developing better business networks and increased exposure to improve practices to increase revenue and local employment”, said Joshua De Wald, Mercycorps’ Country Director.

The locals that are invited are those who come from tsunami-affected communities in Hambantota District whose production utilises one or more of the following: fruit, vegetables, milk, grain, nuts and fish. “At the hall, there will be up to 125 booths for around 85 national- and local-level exhibitors and 40 local processors,” Mr De Wald said, adding that getting these people together can hopefully find new avenues of business.

As for RADA’s representative, W. M. B. S. Nissanka, its National Programme Officer, he said that his agency gets involved with both natural and man-made disasters, so when Mercycorps came calling RADA was only too happy to get on board.

“We are here for the long haul. Not just for one event. We want to get involved in more events like this that help people improve their situations,” Mr. Nissanka said.

“There are things we need to do, such as raising the quality of our produce. For instance, there is no grading in this country for paddy. When you go to buy rice there is no Grade 1, 2, or 3. If the paddy is checked, you’ll find that only 5 percent is equivalent to Grade 1, and only 15 percent to Grade 3. Mercycorps and fairs like this will help lift the quality and awareness of local products,” he said, adding that around 40 percent of agricultural produce is wasted. “This has to be reduced.”

As with the other fairs, grants are there to be won. After the fair is over, participating individuals or groups will be able to compete for grants aimed at improving their production line, be it buying equipment or hiring more staff, for instance.

“It’s hoped that the local entrepreneurs will spot opportunities or technologies at the fair that they can use the grant to utilise,” Mr. De Wald said.
As for the Ampara fair, out of around 60 applicants, 42 entrepreneurs have or are about to sign memorandums of understanding for grants that have a maximum value of Rs 300,000.

As for lessons learned from Ampara, the Chamber of Commerce has been involved from the beginning for this fair to help coordinate and bring down big business.

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