Second workshop for agri entrepreneurs on protected agriculture in hill country

• Initiative by Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum in collaboration with HNB, Unipower and CIC

Sri Lanka is in desperate need of adapting its agriculture to the challenges of this decade. The issues of food security, fetching better prices for agri-produce, and optimising the agri-sector as a whole are some of the burning issues that need to be addressed without delay. Among the plethora of solutions available, adopting protected agriculture has proved to be a tried and tested way of solving some of the issues that Sri Lankan farmers face.

Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum (SLAF) as the premier forum for agribusiness in Sri Lanka places modernised agriculture at the forefront of improving food security in Sri Lanka. SLAF believes that only through the upliftment of the sector through providing access to knowledge on scientific growing practices and technology, markets, and finance, can Sri Lankans to mitigate this danger and avert such unfortunate situations in the future. As a part of this objective, SLAF has identified the importance of expanding protected agriculture as one such potential contributor to elevated national agri-output. 

In order to promote protected agriculture in Sri Lanka and educate existing protected agriculture growers on the new technologies and scientific growing methods and provide access to sustainable markets for higher profits, SLAF partnered with HNB, Unipower, and CIC, leading companies interested in developing sustainable agriculture in Sri Lanka. Through this collaborative effort, a series of workshops are to be conducted for agripreneurs on protected agriculture, and the first workshop was successfully held in HNB Towers, Colombo 10 on 20 December 2022. Following the success of the inaugural workshop and the requests of the agripreneurs who took part in it, a second workshop has been arranged to focus on the agripreneurs from the hill-country region of Sri Lanka. This full-day workshop which is offered free of charge for agripreneurs is scheduled to be held on 27 January 2023 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Inservice Center, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya. Morning tea and lunch will be provided to all participants.

The workshop will cover areas such as how to construct a polytunnel scientifically, selection of seeds for polytunnel cultivation, effective ways of controlling pests and diseases in polytunnels, plant nutrient management for tunnel crops, and cultivation based on market demand. It will be followed by a problem-solving session and panel discussion to address key issues brought out by the audience.

All interested participants to attend this workshop are kindly requested to contact them at [email protected] for more details. Limited seats available on a first-come-first-serve basis.