Jiffy Products wins inaugural ‘Best Ethically Trading Exporter’ award at NCE Awards 2021

• Also receives Silver in ‘Extra-Large’ category of ‘Coconut and Coconut Products’ sector for export performance

 Jiffy Products Sri Lanka Ltd. (JPSL), a leading manufacturer and exporter of coconut and coir-based plant propagation grow media, won two awards including the title of ‘Best Ethically Trading Exporter’ at the annual Export Awards of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE), a flagship event in Sri Lanka’s business calendar.

JPSL once again took the Silver award in the ‘Extra-Large’ category of the ‘Coconut and Coconut Products’ Sector in addition to the award for Ethical Trading in the same category. The latter is the newest addition to the NCE awards scheme and was introduced to recognise ethically-governed, export-oriented organisations and encourage Sri Lankan exporters to conduct ethical practices and sustain business enhancement.

“We are delighted to win the inaugural Best Ethically Trading Exporter award in our category because it reaffirms our steadfast commitment to best practices in ethics and sustainability,” said Jiffy Products Sri Lanka Managing Director Ruwan Rajapakse. “This award will strengthen our global presence while enhancing the outlook for Sri Lanka as a global exporting hub. Jiffy Products strongly believes in ethical business operations and our strategies are developed with the vision to be the innovation and service leader in sustainable plant growing solutions that feed and beautify the world.”

“We contribute over Rs. 2 billion to the rural economy annually through raw material purchases and employee wages and have persisted with continuous improvement initiatives despite the challenges of the times. We are therefore most encouraged by the honours bestowed on us by the National Chamber of Exporters,” Rajapakse added.

The NCE challenge trophy for ethical trading was awarded to Jiffy Products according to evaluation criteria that covered the company’s trading practices, payment of statutory wages, policy on child labour and forced labour, practices on non-discrimination, gender equity and freedom of association, working conditions, capacity-building efforts, promotion of good values, and environmental consciousness. Jiffy Products submitted detailed explanations and declarations to support the criteria and affirmed that it continuously engages in environment-friendly practices. 

The Silver award for export performance recognises Jiffy Products for demonstrated excellence in business with emphasis on People, Profit and Planet. The company’s financial performance, export performance, efforts in value addition, nett foreign exchange earnings, effective management, impact on the triple bottom line, significant contributions to the national economy, implementation of certified management systems and product certifications, implementations of ethical business practices and good governance for the sustainability of the enterprise, were among the contributory factors for this award. 

The highest value-added product exporter in Sri Lanka’s Coconut Substrate industry, Jiffy Products offers innovative products such as Jiffy-7C pellets, grow blocks, grow bags, coco discs and coco trays and plates for young plant propagation in the horticulture industry. In 2020, the company introduced new products including drone seed squares, 42 types of grow bags, 18 types of pellets, two types of grow plates, six types of grow blocks, and one new type of tray as customer and crop-specific growing solutions. 

Jiffy Products exports to over 40 countries including Mexico, France, Canada, England, USA, Germany, Japan, Australia and South Korea.

The company’s manufacturing plants in Pannala and Kobeigane comply with, and in some instances exceed global best practices in minimal use of water and plastics and practice comprehensive recycling of waste materials and resource recirculation.

Jiffy Products also collaborates with many local institutions such as universities, government research institutes such as the Tea Research Institute (TRI), Coconut Research Institute (CRI) and Department of Agriculture as well as agriculture-based private sector companies, to share its technical know-how with the local farmer community through these organisations.

A multi-award-winning company, Jiffy Products won the Best Exporter Award for the third consecutive year in the Coconut Substrates sector at the Presidential Export Awards of 2019 and won the Sri Lanka National Quality Award (SLNQA) of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI), the National Business Excellence Award and the Appreciation of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka in the same year. 

Titled ‘Rise, Rebuild and Regain,’ the 29th NCE Export Awards was held at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. Designed to recognise and reward the outstanding performance of exporters, the event has achieved national recognition due to its professionalism and high standards. The awards scheme is meant to enhance the visibility of Sri Lankan exporters in the global market and gain prominence and ease of access into various international markets. 

Jiffy Products Sri Lanka commenced commercial operations in 2004 at the Mirigama Export Processing Zone as a Board of Investment (BOI) company. Subsequent expansions saw the establishment of state-of-the-art raw material processing and production units in the areas of Pannala in 2006 and in Kobeigane in 2010 to cater to the high-demand global market. The company currently exports products worldwide, mainly to Europe, US, Africa and South Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific.