KEELLS: INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

For three decades, Sri Lanka’s leading retailer Keells Supermarkets has been collaborating with farmers across the country to put high-quality fresh produce that consumers love within easy reach. Operating on the core purpose of ‘improving the quality of life for the nation’, Keells is also ensuring sustainable growth for farming communities, working with over 4,000 farmers sourcing high-quality fresh produce collected from seven centres in Thambuthegama, Sooriyawewa, Pannegamuwa, Kappetipola, Dambulla, Jaffna and Kadawatha.

Keells is collaborating with several partners on an initiative called ‘Farming for the Future’, a holistic approach to farming that grows quality produce whilst improving soil quality, conserving water, and reducing dependency on chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizer.

Ensuring this harvested produce remains fresh, Keells delivers it within 24 hours from the farm to the store. A three stage quality check guarantees customers get to taste the real freshness. Field officers deployed by Keells share knowledge and expertise regularly with farmers, supporting them through any challenges they face. Training and awareness on financial literacy are provided to ensure the farming communities also benefit in the long run as a result of this partnership.

INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY AND COLLABORATION

Keells and SAPP are committing more than Rs440 million to invest in technology to boost sustainable agriculture under an exciting new project.

Keells in collaboration with the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Programme (SAPP), which is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), together with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), disseminates appropriate technology for effective irrigation and water conservation, crop protection, farmer mechanization and post-harvest handling.

The goal is to enable higher productivity, reduce losses, and yield safe and quality produce. Implementation of drip irrigation and poly mulching has been shown to reduce water consumption by 60% and increase productivity by 25%-30% while insect-proof netting reduces the cost incurred on pesticides by up to 80%. The use of nursery trays and transplanters at farms eases the workload while aiding crop quality.

“The partnership will establish 25 greenhouses in Kappetipola. The controlled environment will help farmers to manage the inputs efficiently, extend the growing season, and keep pests at bay. The processes guidelines we will share with farmers will enable them to obtain Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Certification, thereby perpetuating responsible agriculture and consumption habits,” said Mifrah Ismail, Head of Fresh Produce at Keells Supermarkets.

Of the 490 farming units earmarked for the programme, a majority are progressing towards achieving the GAP certification. This programme includes a popular range of vegetables and fruits such as carrots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, brinjals to bananas. As more farmers embark on this journey and succeed, the rollout of these techniques to more farming units can be expected, Mifrah Ismail said. Keells, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), is also supporting 50 farming families to be resettled in the North with several capacity-building programmes.

YOUTH AGRIPRENEURS AND DIVERSITY

Making a living out of agriculture is increasingly challenging due to climatic change, shortage of fertilizer, and modernisation, and with farming increasingly becoming the province of the elderly, Keells is working with SAPP and IFAD to encourage youth to take up sustainable agriculture by providing the necessary knowledge, training, and financial support to manage sustainable farming units. This will give birth to an era of youth agripreneurs who will be adept at using innovative farming technologies to feed a nation while developing their own livelihoods to improve their quality of life. Keells is aiming to attract female entrepreneurs to this endeavour, which Keells believes will inspire the entrepreneurial spirit in more females to become agripreneurs.

“It’s an exemplary Public Private People Partnership involving farmer communities together with SAPP, IFAD and Keells,” noted Dr Yasantha Mapatuna, Director SAPP. “This partnership will transform and commercialise farmer units and farmers. The trust that is built because of the results and collaborative efforts, will enable more initiatives to be carried out in the future for the betterment of farmers, and our country”.