Crysbro’s cutting-edge storage facility helps empower maize farmers

Crysbro storage facility in Siyambalanduwa

Leading Sri Lankan poultry producer Crysbro has always operated with a vision which stretches beyond the company’s bottom line to the broad segment of farming communities that supply it with its requisite quantity of chicken feed. 

In 2015, it took another significant stride in this direction by setting up a state-of-the-art storage facility which is a joint venture set through their member company Fortune Agro Ltd. situated in Siyambalanduwa. From its inception, the storage facility which is the largest maize containment unit in Sri Lanka, has continued to be a key contributor in empowering Crybro’s network of partner farmers across the country. 

The prime advantage of this facility to maize farmers in the Siyambalanduwa, Moneragala, Girandurukotte, Mahiyanganaya and Ampara regions is that they are now able to hand over their harvest directly to Crysbro instead of channelling a third party. This safeguards them from financial exploitation by allowing them to secure a wholesale market price for their produce in a timely manner.

The storage facility, which was constructed at a cost of Rs. 500 million, enables this through its considerable capacity, with it housing four silos that can accommodate a total of 16,000 MT of maize. It also offers the added advantage of versatility by facilitating the storage of both dry and wet maize. Currently, Crysbro is the only poultry firm to possess a storage unit of such size and nature.

Once the maize arrives at the facility, it is weighed and then measured for moisture before undergoing a thorough quality control process. If the maize is found to possess moisture, special machines are deployed to dry it but if it is already discovered to be dry then it is directly sent to the storage silos, with each unit capable of holding up to 4.000 MT of maize. 

“Before this storage facility was constructed, farmers were forced to hand in their crops to third-party sellers, who would oftentimes keep them waiting for up to two weeks for their payment. However, now maize farmers can deal with us directly and get their money on the day they deliver their harvest to Crysbro,” said Crysbro Senior Marketing Manager Amores Sellar

“This not only increases efficiency across the supply chain by eliminating unnecessary delays but also empowers Sri Lankan maize farmers and keeps them clear of debt.”

Established in 1972 with just 100 chicks and a deep desire to be a market leader in quality and innovation, Crysbro has emerged as Sri Lanka’s first and most sophisticated, fully vertically-integrated poultry producer. Its operations span grandparent and parent farms, hatcheries, broiler farms and feed mills. This thriving ‘Farm-to-Fork’ concept has formed the core of its success. In turn, it has yielded unprecedented benefit for numerous stakeholders including direct and indirect employees, outgrowers, domestic maize farmers and ultimately Sri Lankan consumers.