Sustainable Agriculture: Turning Waste into Wealth

At 26, undergraduate-turned-entrepreneur from Jaffna, Arulpriya Kirekaran, is making waves in Sri Lanka’s sustainable agriculture sphere with her innovative approach to poultry feed production. Arulpriya founded Agrofeed Private Limited, a company dedicated to transforming fish waste into poultry feed. Her commitment to environmental conservation and community welfare is the driving force behind her venture, which is already garnering investor interest as far as Canada.

Agrofeed emerged from Arulpriya’s determination to tackle two pressing issues in the Northern Province– environmental pollution and the scarcity of poultry feed. Fish waste from dried seafood factories in Jaffna are often discarded into the sea or landfills, posing a significant threat to local biodiversity. Seeing an opportunity to make a difference, Arulpriya developed a process to convert this waste into nutrient-rich poultry feed. With a seed capital of 1.5 million rupees from Hatch, she turned her idea into reality, now generating an average monthly revenue of 70-80,000 rupees and employing two part-time workers.

Arulpriya’s vision extends beyond her immediate success. She aims to expand her business across Sri Lanka, providing sustainable solutions to the poultry industry while creating jobs, particularly for women in her community. Her work not only addresses the problem of waste management but also contributes to the local economy. With 300-500 kilograms of fish waste processed in Jaffna each day and a national shortage of poultry feed, Agrofeed is poised to play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture. Despite challenges like limited space and the need for further investment, Arulpriya remains determined to grow Agrofeed into a leading force in the industry.