Saving the Hambantota Kaludodol and its livelihoods

COSMI and Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce officials discussing with the dodol community representatives.  

 Representatives of the Hambantota District Kaludodol Entrepreneurs’ Welfare Association met with COSMI at the Hambantota Chamber. Seated from left: Hony. Secretary Aruna Shantha Sayakkara, Chairman E.A. Roshan Maduwantha and Member W.K.A. Nishantha. Standing from left: Member D.A. Chandra, Member Indunil Priyangika, Avindu Diluksha, Member Nilantha Thushara Panagoda, Treasurer Sampath Chamara Kaluarachchi, Member G.B. Nimal Premathilaka and Member Milan Champika

Kaludodol is synonymous with the Deep South in Sri Lanka. For generations, the dodol industry has thrived, creating its own brand of dodol—the Kaludodol. Every Sri Lankan who has travelled through the southern coast on a holiday or pilgrimage would not have forgotten a rest by the row of small roadside boutiques in Hambantota, for a warm cup of Ceylon tea accompanied by a generous piece of mouthwatering kaludodol and some unique southern hospitality. The tradition still lives, as does the cottage industry that has come down the generations, through many obstacles and challenges. But will they survive the latest hurdle they are facing? Or will the accumulated difficulties ultimately seal their fate?

In the village of Giruwapattuwa in Hambantota District, about 250 families live and engage in the home-based kaludodol industry, producing their very own derivative of kaludodol, the ‘Hambantota Kaludodol’. They depend solely on the kaludodol industry for their livelihood and indirectly employ about 2,500 people through their supply chain. But since the Southern Expressway extension offered motorists a much faster option to travel to the south, the Kaludodol community has been dealt with a severe blow. The coastal road is now almost devoid of long-distance travelers, and kaludodol revenue has plummeted by more than half. Meanwhile, the kaludodol traders occupy the current premises on permit, and the community whose livelihoods depend on the industry is in a very vulnerable situation.

The dodol community has far from given up, and they have diversified into other revenue sources. But the alternate sources of income are not production-based and mostly consist of trading toys and gifts, doing hairdressing, etc. But the additional income is still insufficient to fill the wide revenue gap, and it is not sustainable for the community in the long run. This spells doom for their supply chain as well. The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged food delivery and online sales throughout the country, and the kaludodol community was no exception. They too embraced the new normal and used social media to draw online customers. But it has not been enough to keep their heads above water.

In 2021, through a pilot advocacy initiative funded by the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium Industries (COSMI) reached out to help the community overcome the crisis through a novel advocacy initiative to assist communities that have been economically displaced as a result of large-scale infrastructure (LSI) projects. The CIPE-COSMI intervention sought to assist the kaludodol community find a better and more permanent location to sell their products. 

Working closely with the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) and the Hambantota District Kaludodol Entrepreneurs’ Welfare Association (HDKEWA), COSMI reached out to the relevant public sector institutions and the local Members of Parliament to advocate for a permanent place of trade for the kaludodol community, either at the highway entrance or in a suitable rest area along its route. The community’s website, https://hambantotakaludodol.lk/, was also launched to provide online visibility to the community and their trademark product. The pilot project was able to empower the community to drive the advocacy process forward, while at the national level, COSMI provided capacity development and leadership, in collaboration with HDCC assisting at ground level.

The solution seems simple enough—to relocate the dodol businesses to a more viable location and grant ownership of their business premises. But the stumbling block has been the lack of consensus and divided political opinion by successive governments to find a lasting solution in the view of the affected community. The key government stakeholder institutions involved in the process include the Urban Development Authority, the Hambantota Municipal Council, and the Road Development Authority. “Left in the hands of public authorities, the solution itself does not seem at all impossible. But contrary to the enthusiasm shown by reigning governments and their respective oppositions, somehow there has been no urgency to give the community the break they deserve—the break they have been waiting for since the Tsunami 18 years ago,” said COSMI Governing Council Chairman Deshabandu Macky Hashim.

“The dodol community has been more or less ‘homeless’ for some time. And they have been running from pillar to post trying to find a permanent place of business. There are two fundamental issues here: the drop in revenue due to the traffic diversion by the Expressway, and the lack of ownership of their business premises. We want to help them achieve both these goals,” said COSMI President Nawaz Rajabdeen. Ownership of the enterprise is a fundamental entrepreneurial requirement, which allows planning for the future and ensures sustainability. “The ambiguity of ownership of their business premises is a major obstacle to making any future plans and stands in the way of any investment and funding sources. In addition, relocation also means many direct and hidden costs, including the cost of recommencement, which is substantial. As micro- and small-scale businesses, these costs are simply unviable for the dodol community,” he added.

“The CIPE-COSMI LSI pilots ended in July, but our advocacy effort is still ongoing. In addition, we are also helping the dodol community to expand their market reach at regional and international levels,” said Rajabdeen, who is taking a personal interest in helping the community regain some revenue. As a result, many individuals and organisations have come forward to show their interest, and private orders are being placed for 1-2 kg of kaludodol by eager customers based in Australia and Canada. The feedback has been very promising, and the potential is huge for the traditional Sri Lankan delicacy. 

As a result, it would seem that the state’s unwillingness to put its political will into action is the only thing standing in the way of the sustainability and survival of the traditional Hambantota kaludodol industry, which is also a unique Sri Lankan heritage. The people of kaludodol are optimistic and persistent, displaying southern courage and their entrepreneurial spirit. They also ask for immediate political action to protect their way of life and the future of the 

Hambantota Kaludodol.