Future of agronomy

Jiffy Products Sri Lanka’s Chief Agronomist Ajith Gunasena recently pulled back the curtains on what his role is all about, its implications on Jiffy Products and operations and the future of this area of expertise.

Ajith Gunasena’s illustrious career commenced in 1987 at Ceylon Tobacco Co. where he served as a Nursery Officer overlooking Tissue Cultured Potato Propagation and Multiplication. He nurtured his knowledge by obtaining a BSc. in Agriculture Sp. Hons Degree and was quick to top that off with a MBA, where his dissertation was on the export of coco-based substrate from Sri Lanka. 

In 1995, he was employed by Samuel R. Dains Europe Ltd. to develop a project in cut flowers. He joined Supreme Orchid Rose Nursery in 1996 as the Horticultural Production Manager, and served till 2004. Between 2005 and 2007 he provided his expertise to Vanilla International Ltd. and Kotmale Livestock and Agriculture Ltd. (under the Janashakthi Group). His hard work, knowledge and dedication paved the way for him to be appointed to manage three more farms under Agri Squad, a subsidiary of Janashakthi. 

In 2011, he joined Jiffy Products Sri Lanka Ltd. as the Chief Agronomist. As a father of two and husband to Ruvini who is an Assessor and Instructor in Secretarial Practices at the Vocational training Authority of Sri Lanka, he currently balances his work and family life while reading for a PhD in Horticulture. 

 

Agronomy in nutshell 

According to Gunasena, “Agronomy is an incorporation of capacities of plant biology, crop cultivation practices and economic aspects of agriculture.” 

In simpler terms, “It is the science of crop production and soil management,” he adds.  

Commenting on the role that agronomy plays at Jiffy Products, Gunasena explains, “Agronomy plays a crucial role here at Jiffy Products. All of the company’s products are related to agriculture, making my role synonymous with all operations.  Further to this, our raw material processing system is linked to a plantation, where we use our learning from agronomy to effectively manage the waste matter generated from their processes.”

 

The Chief Agronomist connection: 

When asked of his responsibilities at Jiffy Products, Gunsena responded, “I overlook all operations that have even the slightest connection to agronomy. It is my responsibility to liaise with institutions such as the Coconut Development Authority, CRI, universities, Departments of Agriculture and the Mahaweli Authority to name a few.” He further added, “It is under my purview to disseminate information and knowledge relating to advanced technologies to user groups, both local and overseas. I am also very much involved in R&D programs that spearhead product development and process improvement.”

 

A day in the life of an agronomist 

Commenting on what his typical day at Jiffy Products is like; Gunasena’s response was nothing short of enthusiastic. “My typical day has me operating at full capacity in almost every area under my purview that I mentioned before. I start my day off responding to email queries and planning the rest of my day. Most days, a lot of my work takes me outdoors where I may be involved in field work, visiting government offices and other institutions, facilitating discussions with stakeholders, conducting presentations and demonstrations and also heading training programs,” he explained. 

 

What’s on his plate at the moment 

When asked what major projects he was working on at present, Gunasena revealed, “We are at the early stages of implementing a program that will improve the processing of raw material. This will be achieved by repetitive use of the waste that is generated to treat coir substrate. Once successful, it will be a huge value addition to Jiffy Products giving us a competitive advantage while also contributing towards our sustainable environment projects.”

 

Latest developments in agronomy

 Gunasena commented on the latest developments in the field of agronomy that are being implemented at Jiffy Products. He said, “We are exploring various methodologies to contribute towards the protection of the environment throughout all of our key operational processes. A key area we are working on is utilising the effluent discharged from all our operations and using it as fertiliser for paddy farming. This will help minimise waste from our operations while reducing funds spent on purchasing fertiliser.”