Hayleys Agro Farms makes significant contribution to sustainable farming  

A happy farmer in Welimada with Laperla Potato

A rich harvest of Hayleys Hybrid Maize

Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd., the leading provider of agri inputs in Sri Lanka since the 1950s, has played a significant role in assisting farmers to be more productive, cost-efficient, and conduct farming in a sustainable manner. Providing the widest range of agri inputs (from ground preparation to harvesting), introducing best agriculture practices, and cutting-edge technology, Hayleys Agriculture has always stood tall among private sector companies engaged in agriculture in Sri Lanka. Supporting Sustainable Greener Agriculture with Innovation, Quality Inputs, and Extension Services is the Mission of Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd. 

In 2006 Hayleys Agro Farms Ltd., was established as a subsidiary of Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Limited. Today Hayleys Agro Farms has taken the mantle from Hayleys Agriculture to make a significant contribution to sustainable agriculture by providing quality products such as seed paddy, corn/maize seeds, vegetable seeds, seed potato, and specialty fertiliser.

Sustainable agriculture is of utmost relevance and importance in the post pandemic state of Sri Lanka. Farmers need to focus on producing long-term crops while causing minimal effects on the environment. They must also focus on maintaining the economic stability of their farms and helping themselves improve their techniques and quality of life to ensure sustainability. Farmers today have to pay attention to the cost of production and ensure that their activities can be carried out sustainably. Hayleys Agro Farms produces approximately 12% of the private sector seed paddy supply to the national requirement.

Over 1,100 farmers benefit from the “Seed Paddy Program” of Hayleys Agro Farms. The Seed Paddy that farmers produce is certified by the Department of Agriculture (according to Certified Seed Paddy (CSP) standards) and finally processed and properly stored at the two facilities of the company at Polonnaruwa and Ampara. The company closely monitors the production of all Farmers in the “outgrower network”, individually, by trained and experienced staff to achieve prescribed quality standards.  

Hayleys Agro Farms also markets three hybrid Maize seed varieties, supplied by Pioneer Hi-bred (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Pioneer Seeds, USA. One of the varieties, HP 4311, has been in the market for the last three years and is well accepted among farmers as a high yielding and adaptable variety. 

Hayleys Agro Farms was instrumental in introducing the popular Seed Potato variety - Granola to Sri Lanka in 1994. Besides Granola, the Company also markets Seed Potato varieties such as Connect, Lapala, Masai, Prada, Papageno, Sarpo Mira, Amany, Sassy, and Royal, which are the Early Generation Seeds (EGS) imported from the Netherlands, Germany, and France. The team at Hayleys Agro Farms also provides technical advice to Farmers, which has enabled them to harvest over 20MT per hectare in Nuwara Eliya and 18MT per hectare in the Uva region per season. As a result, the company has been having a market share of over 80% of the imported Seed Potato segment consistently over the last 15 years.

In addition, Pole Bean (Black Cora), Leeks (Jambo), Okra (Vimukthi), Cabbage (Starlet & Tesla), Kohlrabi (Koiko), Tomato (JKT 02) and Carrot (New Kuroda) are some of the Vegetable Seeds and Planting Materials marketed by Hayleys Agro Farms. The company also markets local inbred seeds of chilli (MICH I) and other local inbred seed varieties such as long bean, beet, radish, and pumpkin.

Hayleys Agro Farms constantly invests in research and development and conducts varietal evaluation trials with the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to identify adaptable seed varieties consisting of good traits to cater to farmers of all ecological zones. The company takes every step to ensure that the best planting material/seed options are made available to farmers in Sri Lanka.