SLAF collaborates with Agro World and HNB to conduct awareness session on agri-fin-tech in north

Wednesday, 8 February 2023 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum (SLAF) partnered with Agro World (AW) and Hatton National Bank to conduct an awareness session on Agri-Tech and Agri-Entrepreneurship in Jaffna.

This session which was held under the endorsement of Provincial Director of Agriculture – Northern Province S. Senthilkumaran, saw the participation of over 100 individuals from the Jaffna District including Agriculture Instructors, AMOs, Technical Assistants, and Lead Farmers.

The session included an introduction of Agro World (AW), a game-changing agri-fin-tech startup based out of Sri Lanka; that addresses and solves some of the key pain-points faced by the agribusiness sector stakeholders; more importantly the solution provided by Agro World addresses almost all the issues and challenges faced by the farmers of any scale, may it be a small-holder farmer, or a mid-sized commercial farmer, or even a plantation with over hundreds and thousands of workforce.

The participants were also informed about the various opportunities available to them through HNB in the form of loan schemes and grants.

Following that, SLAF presented on improving agripreneurship (agri-entrepreneurship) in the region and provided insights on how individuals can shift from traditional farming to being an agripreneur.

The objective of the session was to spread awareness on these subjects with the state officials in the region so that it is communicated effectively to the ground-level stakeholders they interact with. SLAF said technology and innovation have continued to shape agriculture throughout time. It has become imperative that Sri Lankan agriculture adapts to the changes in technology accordingly or we risk falling behind competitors in international markets.

The Sri Lankan agri-sector has been hesitant in adopting technology and its consequences are clearly visible when we place our contribution to the national economy in comparison to other countries such as Israel, India, and Bangladesh. However, merely discussing this issue is not the solution and instead, there should be proactive steps taken.

SLAF, as the premier forum for agribusiness in Sri Lanka, is committed to improving access to information and spreading awareness amongst all agri-stakeholders to ensure that the Sri Lankan agri-sector thrives, thus improving the lives of millions involved in the sector and is transformed to becoming a valuable contributor to the Sri Lankan economy.