Balangoda Plantations awarded rain forest alliance certificate

Tuesday, 8 April 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Balangoda Plantations PLC, managed by the Stassen Group, has been awarded the Rain Forest Alliance Certification which is a new milestone in the company’s continuous journey towards sustainable agriculture. This certification spells out a comprehensive set of standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) which are built on the three pillars of sustainability – environment, economy and social justice. The standard follows 10 universal principles - social and environmental management, ecosystem conservation, wildlife protection, good working conditions for workers, water conservation, community relations, occupational health and safety, soil management and conservation, integrated waste management etc. - the objective of which are to mitigate environmental and social risks caused by agricultural activities.

All nine estates in the Balangoda Range Cluster - Agarsland, Balangoda, Cecilton, Meddakande, Non Pareil, Pettiagalla, Rasagalla, Rye Wikiliya and Walaboda - are now RA certified. “This is the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, that nine estates of an organisation have received the group certificate at once,” said Rainforest Alliance Consulting Coordinator for Sri Lanka Giri Kadurugamuwa. To achieve this goal the company obtained the assistance of Praguna Management Consultants. This exercise is also a testament to the company’s continued commitment in stepping into the growing market of enlightened consumers who make conscious choices about supporting sustainable agricultural practices through their purchases. It would be a good baseline to benchmark Balangoda Plantations PLC with players in the Industry with clear goals and targets to be achieved.