The central regional stakeholder consultation event organized by SANASA International under the FO4A program referred to as the SMART FARMER project was successfully completed on 17 August 2023 with the attendance of more than 100 participants. The participants included the Deputy Director (Kandy) of the Department of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Cooperatives of the Central Province, the Assistant Commissioner of Agrarian Services of Central Province, the Chairman of Kiyota Coffee, one of the largest coffee bean suppliers from Sri Lanka, the Managing Director of Kandy organics, organic food exporter, the Managing Director of the Green Globe Organics, the Chairman of the District SANASA Union Mathale, Regional and branch of SDB bank Central region, the manager of SANASA Insurance, students of food science, soil science, and crop science from the Wayamba University and the University of Peradeniya, and the leaders of cooperative societies and farm organizations who are partnering with the FO4A (SMART FARMER) project.
The objective of the conference was to receive policy support to promote smallholder farmers businesses and create an enabling ecosystem for them to be resilient. The presentation of Mr. Nalin Priyantha from Kiyota Coffee, on the opportunities available in the coffee industry raised the enthusiasm of many cooperative societies. Seven cooperatives whose members are spice growers were exposed to the new legal requirements and standards expected by the spice market by Mr. Aruna Dissanayake of the Department of Export Agriculture.
The conference deliberated on the market opportunities for coffee, spices, yam, mushrooms and kurakkan. The farmers had a lengthy engagement with the value chain promoters and regulators as well as certification bodies and value adders to understand what needs to be done to capture the market potential.
The Commissioner of the Cooperatives of Central Province updated the audience on the new regulatory changes undertaken by the current government and what they could do to support the FO4(A) project. He pledged his support to register supplier cooperatives developed under the project. Meanwhile, he advised the existing financial cooperatives to consider diversifying their business focus.
One of the highlights of the event was to have Bureau Veritas, whose representatives explained in details the types of certificates that are required when the cooperatives plan to sell their products to the global markets. The company expressed their enthusiasm to partner with the project by offering a subsidized rate for a period for the emerging farmer cooperatives who are connected to SANASA International.
Seven students who participated from Wayamba University and the University of Peradeniya presented their innovations and value-added products in the agri sector such as mushroom sausages, meatballs, and pasta which opened up the business scope of the farmer organizations. The students expressed their willingness to help the project by engaging with the farmer organizations to consider value-adding their products.
The District Commissioner of Agrarian Services and the Provincial Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and the Deputy Director of the Small Enterprise Development Division expressed their readiness to partner with the project to make sure that their field extension officers, as well as provincial subject heads, will support the relevant assistant to move the project forward as it a timely project that can support the farmers while increase the much-needed remittance for the country.
The managing director of SANASA International requested all participants to think as citizens irrespective of their official titles and join with the project to ensure that the central region will support to build at least 5 strong supplier cooperatives that can create value and be prototypes for the rest of the country. (Article and photos by SANASA)
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