Big draw for three-day agri business exhibition in Kilinochchi
Friday, 26 July 2013 00:00
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By Shabiya Ali Ahalam
Space at the Ag-Biz North exhibition to be held in Kilinochchi is all sold out with just a week to go before it kicks off.
The first-ever exhibition to be hosted in the Northern Province, the Ag-Biz North will be held at the Central College Grounds Kilinochchi from 26 to 28 July under the theme ‘Connecting North’.
Scheduled to take place in parallel to the Kilinochchi International Trade Fair 2013, this exhibition which is jointly organised by the National Agri Business Council (NABC) and Practical Action, is endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
With the response having exceeded the expectations of the organisers, NABC Secretary Rohitha Nanayakkara stated that all stalls of the Ag-Biz pavilion are fully booked.
While a total 63 booth stalls, 10 canopies, and 25 open spaces were initially made available for exhibitors, due to an increase in demand the NABC said it had to add 10 more stalls.
The Ag-Biz being held for the benefit of those engaged in agriculture in the Kilinochchi region and its suburbs, the exhibition will include input suppliers, financial institutions, agriculture department, animal production and health department, coconut cultivation board, Milco, NLDB, and many more. The NABC shared that few participating leading banks will be offering special loan schemes to the participating farmers at the exhibition.
In addition to this, there will also be an agriculture and animal clinic to provide technical advice for the farmers.
With NABC having recently concluded the promotion for the exhibition in Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Mannar, Ampara and Kilinochchi, the council expects no less than 25,000 visitors for the event.
To make travelling convenient for this large number of expected visitors, the NABC shared that it has requested the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) to increase the frequency of busses to and from Kilinochchi to the areas where they had promoted the event.
The NABC stated that along with its organising partner, Practical Action, it hopes to make the Ag-Biz North a platform for farmers in the region to be exposed to the latest agricultural technologies available so they can further increase their productivity.
Assistance extended by the Northern Province Governor, Security Forces Headquarters Kilinochchi, Government Agent – Kilinochchi and all the other Government officials from the Northern Province; to facilitate this event was commended by the NABC.
