The Ambagolla Farmers Association, a farmer organization affiliated with the Movement for Land and Agriculture Reforms (MONLAR) has initiated a business intending to supply pepper, a major agricultural produce in the region, to the market in an organized manner to obtain a better farm gate price.
Under the SMART FARMER project of APFP/FO4A Sri Lanka, Sanasa International supported the Ambagolla Farmer Organization to prepare a comprehensive business plan and receive technical advice and training to improve the quality and value addition to their harvest. The farmers were exposed to international standards and they were supported by SEFEC to enter into PGS certification process (Participated Guaranteed System).
The farmer collective was advised by SANASA to operate as a co-operative enterprise and the SANASA federation supported them to engage with the Department of Co-operative to register as an agriculture cooperative. This new legal status enabled them to access funds from the challenge fund facilitated through Sanasa Federation to establish the building and install machinery for the pepper processing center. The new legal status enables facilitated the leaders to mobilize 103 members to the new cooperative society.
SEFEC, the business incubation division of SANASA International, has been able to negotiate with CBL Natural Private Company which has agreed to procure white pepper and black pepper, manufactured by the farmer collectives that are mobilized and technically supported by the SMART farmer project. The company has already supported the business incubation process by introducing to the farmers the market standards and expected quality. SEEFC has facilitated the Ambagolla cooperative to receive services from the Central Spices Research Institute of Export Agriculture Department in Mathale and the Assistant Director of DEA in Monaragala District and the Department of Co-operative provided technical support to the process.
In addition to processing pepper, this new processing facility will be able to add value and process other local agricultural goods including jackfruit, coconut, turmeric, ginger, etc..during the off-season, giving a year-round income for the farm families. One hundred two pepper farmers will benefit from this initiative as the processing center will add value to their pepper production.
The opening ceremony of the newly constructed Bibila Ambagolla Pepper Processing Center was held on 7 February 202. Officials representing Sanasa International, MONLAR, the Department of Export Agriculture, the Cooperative Department, and the eco APE Cooperative network participated in this event.
The Bibile Peasants Cooperative Society in Ambagolla, Bibile, Sri Lanka opened a white pepper processing center on 7 February 2023. One hundred two pepper farmers will benefit from this initiative as the processing center will add value to their pepper production.
The Bibile Peasants Cooperative Society is a member of the EcoAPECoop Network which is supported by MONLAR, one of the APFP-FO4A partner farmers’ organizations in Sri Lanka. The initiative was conducted with support from the APFP-FO4A program and SANASA, the national implementing agency of the program in Sri Lanka.
This article is originally published by SEFEC.
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