Three little boys, D.F.M.A.Dimuthu Priyadharshana (Grade VI), H.K.A.Sandake Lakshman (Grade VI) and M. Ishara Lakshman (Grade VIII) are part of a group of students from Gangeyaya, Thanamalwila who received scholarships to further their studies. They are all children of farmers from whom Cargills outsources vegetable and fruits.
At the ceremony |
Twenty-three scholarships were awarded recently to school children of farmers at Gangeyaya consisting of Year 5 scholarship students, Advanced Level qualified students, two undergraduates and students selected for ICT. The above three little ones were giggling away in the front rows of chairs for the visitors at the Awards Ceremony and were discussing their future career plans where two of them said that they strive to become doctors and the other said that he would become an engineer.
The above is the first step for a massive scheme to elevate the education of children of the farmers by Cargills (Ceylon). Cargills has started purchasing fruits and vegetable from the farmers of Gangeyaya and its environs since 2007 and so far has purchased two million kilograms of produce. Cargills have teamed up with World Vision to float a novel project - a fund created by Cargills assigning 50 cents from every kilogram purchased from 300 farmers which would be used to offer scholarships for children of farmers and to establish a Distress Fund.
Ranjith Page, Managing Director, Cargills told the Sunday Times FT that they have established 135 outlets all over the country and they are outsourcing from 5,000 vegetable and fruit farmers and another 5,000 milk farmers. He said that they are taking steps to set up another 100 outlets within a matter of an year or so and then the intake of fruits and vegetable and milk would probably be doubled. Thus they intend to double the vegetable and fruits and milk farmers totaling to around 20,000.
In the meantime, Cargills are taking steps to immediately introduce to all the other farmer societies the scheme of assigning 50 cents for every kg they purchase from the farmers, and intend to introduce this scheme to milk farmers too. Cargills purchase 50 tons of vegetable and fruits per day and thus per year it would total 600 tons and it is converted to kilograms to assign 50 cents per kg to create the fund for farmer societies. The Gangeyaya Farmers Society received nearly Rs 1 million. Though Cargills would be purchasing from a selected number of farmers from an area, the benefits of the 'Cents 50' Fund would flow into all the farmers of the area.
The modalities of the scheme will be worked out by the farmers, Cargills and Divisional Secretariat of the area. While Cargills' new concept actually originated to help some farmers from Hanguranketa to sell their produce some 25 years ago, it is in itself CSR, helping in the education of the children of farmers would lead to create a new status for the farmers. Mr Page told the Sunday Times FT that their next phase of the project is to initiate a micro-financing system for the farmer organizations and also to initiate the supply of high quality seeds and fertilizer. |
E-mail