Agri-Business, Production, Processing and Marketing Information ...

SIf LANKA 121
Sri Lanka targets Europe for vegetable exports
Diversification and expansion of hill country agriculture
A N INITIATIVE to diversify agri- Germany, Switzerland,
culture in Sri Lanka's central Denmark and Nordic markets
, o
highland region is seeking cus- who could be seriously intertomers
in European markets for its ested in high quality export
range of high value vegetables. vegetables from Sri Lanka.
At present tea is the main crop in
this area of the Indian Ocean island
and some planters have been encour-
After interested importers are
found, the project then alms to
identify the individual quality
aged by the AgEnt Prolect to put
their growing skills and experience
standards, packaginig require­
ments and import timing of
in post-harvest handling to use in each potential customer
producing fine beans, mnangetoui,
snow peas and roid beans
"The first trial export shipmenis
were in May and sam-
Teapickersre-directtheirskilstomongetout
The AgEni initiative in Sri Lanka, pies went to the Netherlands, France, growing and packing which conform
which is funded by the United States Germany, Switzerland and the UK," with all EU legislation and super-
Agency for International David Brandon of High Value market specifications The growers
Development (USAID), started in Horticulture, the UK-based consul- will use this information to establish
early 1993 to help the private igro- tancy to the project, told Eurofruit packhouse and cooling facilities
enterprise sector expand by develop- Magazine. "These were the products Project advisors Anthony Dalgleish
ing and marketing new export crops of the first round of trial drillings on and Gamini Kumarage will be avail-
AgEnt saw hug, potential for temper- three sites in March In total the pro- able on the Sri Lankan stand at the
ate vegetable cultivation in the tect covers 2.5 hectares on eight SIAL food fair in Paris this month to
favourable soil and climate condi- sites." Samples from the second discuss the project.
tions of the Nuwara Eiya area and round of trials were due in "At the moment we are assessing
implemented small scale trials at the September and these will find their the market and I am reasonably posiend
of 1993 way onto the commercial mar-et. tive about the project so far," said Mr
The second phase of the protect is Mr Brandon has provided the Sri Brandon. "If the level of interest we
to identify importers and retadilers in Lankan growers with all the neces- have had keeps up, I think the pro-
France, the UK, the Netherlands, sary information for standards in ject can go commercial next year." U
Sri Lanka. The pew, quality source for fine beans
mangetoutsnow peas, round beans and much, much more!
WIN ATHEY HAVE
SUPERB DEVIL TO BE
MASK AT SIAU GOOD!
Visit the Colombo (SriLanka)
(2H/J64. Hall 2) , (pictured left) with
and enter the I • , . AgEnt Advisors
daily competition endorsing the quality
to possibly win a of first trialled high
superb collectors value export
Devd Mask' 11i vegetables
The cent ralhillcountry massif of Sri Lanka has long been To find ou mo,e abouthow thisunique USAID funded _J 1
_
renowned for the ganficent quilty of the teasgrown "I AgEnt (ogre-enterprise developmen) private secter
this region of the iihniariiienpe i d(orheiwoilci Now project con help you increase sales of these product
sonie of tile countly% rn-sttei phnicr hie in ,cd lies, please contact AglAnt'sAnthony Dalg'leish A I
Oil )()I t O fif I (X OI ( O (l l 1l lO whet (
thei rI -onsi ' ... in ln ni ):Stll, ' Jrost h i es th i h ( in te rn a tio na l M o keii n g / Apto P rocessnip A dvisor) 0 ,
experience conihi.ned wiih he hillCounCr y Ga istiii Kum tagec(Agrtliusii'ss Advisor)on tire Sri
fl boo ,olu g iblh"A - ilf / fl~ill n 'OodaI."', toniin,,,nny it, I fn-o p,,, npI li ins i-l ,pt i'll riiiIi' riyiy tan n d l SIAl ApEnt's Colombho (Sri Lanka)
ING SRI LANKA
tinro,'riiiv contact fax number: +94 I 446428 TO GROW'
Eurofruit Maaazine ic i' iqi4
3