Mr.
Faris. H. Hadad-Zervos, Country Director of the World Bank inspected the
agricultural machinery used for training purposes of farmers who are on three-day residential programmes at the Farmer Training
School (FTS) at Thirappane last Friday (22nd). Mr. Hadad-Zervos laid
the foundation stone for the FTS on 22nd December 2021.
The absence of a market to sell agricultural products at a fair price by avoiding middlemen is a major problem faced by the farmers in the CSIAP area, and as a solution to this, the project expects to sell agricultural products through an online application called 'Agro Bizz'. When selling farm produce online, payments will also be credited to farmers' accounts via 'Agro Bizz'. A leading software company 'Celata Tech' has invented this 'Agro Bizz' application which can be downloaded onto Android smartphones.
In a discussion held between World Bank officials, CSIAP officials and 'Celata Tech' company officials, it has been agreed to provide this application for free to about 70,000 project beneficiary farmers. Accordingly, a series of training programmes for selected representatives from the 11 districts under the project area as trainers have been started. The CSIAP aims to popularize this application among the farmers by training and appointing the Agricultural Business and Marketing Relations Officers and agricultural Facilitators working in the Provincial Deputy Project Director Offices of the CSAIP and office bearers of Producer Associations and Producer Societies as representatives.
Selected representatives from Hambantota, Monaragala, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee Batticaloa and Ampara have been trained and the 'Agro Bizz' application will be introduced to the farmers by those representatives. Farmers are able to enter the image of their products on this application and information such as the quantity of the products, the time when they can be offered for sale, and the prices expected by the farmers can also be mentioned on this application. Farmers' information, farm information, cultivation information and product information are entered into the 'Agro Bizz' application. The 'Celata Tech' company has already registered product buyers, processing agencies, freight forwarders, consultants, Banks and service providers on 'Agro Bizz' to support CSIAP farmers.
Mr. S.M. Saman Bandulasena, Chief Secretary, Northern Province along with Ms. S.Suganthini, Provincial Director (Agricultura), Agriculture Instructors of the respective areas, Mr. Geroge Babu, Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) , Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP attended this Agricultural Field Day, which is a journey of enlightenment and enrichment in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts. All officials visited.
This Field Day not only educates and inspires but also underscores the pivotal role that agriculture plays in sustaining our CSIAP farming community and preserving the cultivated land for generations to come.
Mr. Sarath Wickramaratne, Consultant of the Worl Bank, conducted the Second Day of the two-day workshop on preparing Cascade Management Plans (CMPs)held at the National Institute of Plantation Management (NIPM), Athurugiriya. Mr. Samanatha Mallawaarachchi, IEC & ICT Specialist and Mr. Nalaka Attanayake, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project made participants aware of their subjects’ contribution to CMPs.
The
World Bank Officials, Deputy Project Directors and Subject Specialists made
their contribution to preparing effective and meaningful Cascade Management
Plans on the first day of the two-day workshop held at
the National Institute of Plantation Management (NIPM), Athurugiriya.
Mr. Sarath Wickramaratne, Consultant, Dr. Athula Senaratne, Senior Agriculture Specialist and Eng. S. Manoharan, Consultant of the Worl Bank lectured on selected topics such as preparing Cascade Management Plans (CMPs), Why should the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) implement 11 pilot CMPs in 11 hotspot areas commencing from October 2023, and Importance of amalgamating the possible activities of the plan of Water Resources Management for sustainable cascade management. The objectives of the two-day workshop were pointed out by Mr. D. V. Bandulasena, Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist (ID&CBS) of the Project Management Unit (PMU).
Representing six provincial Deputy Directors’ Office of the CSIAP Mr. Upali Rathnayake, ID&CBS, Deputy Project Director’s Office of the North Central Province, Mr. D. M .K. H. Dissanayake, ID&CBS, Deputy Project Director’s Office of the North Western Province, Mr. D. M. L. Bandaranayake, Deputy Project Director of the Uva Province, Mr. Arulappu George Chandra Babu, Deputy Project Director of the Northern Province, Dr. R. M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director of the Eastern Province and Mr. R.P. M. Dissananayeke, ID&CBS and Acting Deputy Project Director of the Southern Province, commented on the progress of establishing the Cascade Management Committees (CMCs), developing CMPs and planning for facilitating the CMC to implement the CMP.
Mr. N. A. I. U. K. Nissanka, Water Management Specialist, Dr. Janaka Jayawardane -Environmental & Social Safeguard Specialist, Mr. Frank Jayasinghe, Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist and Mr. Christy Perera, Agri-Business & Market Development Linkage Specialist delivered lectures on how do their subjects incorporate into cascade management plans. Subject Specialists, Engineers and Officers of the CSIAP attended this workshop.
