Elpitiya Plantations Plc Annual Report 2010/11 - Colombo Stock ...

Managing Director’s Review (contd.)
plantations communities on our estates. These committees focus
on crèche development , road rehabilitation, welfare matters,
nutrition aspects, etc.
government could quite rightly take the leadership to resolve
these issues and ensure that the industry continues in the
forefront as the major foreign exchange earner.
The company is also thankful to the Plantation Human
Development Trust and the Merrill J Fernando Charitable
Foundation for supporting the estate communities by way of
educational scholarships and social development initiatives. The
company also continues to focus on carrying out medical camps,
welfare events, pilgrimages, book donation schemes etc. for the
benefit of the estate community. Several awareness building
programmes aimed at dengue prevention and prenatal and
antenatal care have also been carried out. The company is also
grateful to the Ministry of Livestock and Rural Community
Development for the assistance given to concrete roads on the
Pundalu Oya estates. In addition, we also received funding for
this same purpose under the Plantation Development Project and
express our grateful thanks to all these institutions.
EPP has also focused on training and skills development
programs for different levels of employees. Quality circles were
also set up on the estates with similar objectives. Regular training
programmes have also been held particularly aimed at the
plantation executives, workers and staff, as this is an investment
that is well worth the effort. The company was also able to obtain
ISO 22000 for five tea factories, whilst several others are in the
pipeline for next year. In addition, the ELS factory also received
the Forestry Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certification,
which was a great achievement.
I take this opportunity to convey my appreciation to the CEO and
the staff at the head office and all plantation executives, workers
and staff for their continued dedication and commitment. The
workers and staff have always co-operated with us and developed
a wonderful dialogue with the plantation executives and the team
at head office. We are grateful to them in resolving all issues. The
plantation executives have continued to give leadership on the
estates and have faced much hardship with fortitude and
commitment. I am grateful to all of them. I must also thank all our
customers who purchase our product and the brokers for the
confidence they have in our products, without whose support this
performance would not have been possible. I thank the CEO for
his unwavering leadership, hard work and perseverance.
There have been several who have contributed to the progress of
this company. The Management Committee (MC) chaired by Mr.
Devan de Mel meets monthly and reviews the performance of the
estates and the company and offers pragmatic advice and
solutions. I thank them for their valuable time and the candid
feedback given to me in the discharge of my duties. The chairman
and the board of directors have been a great source of
encouragement and guidance to me and I thank them for the
continuous support and advice given to me in the discharge of
my duties, which I have always valued and look forward in the
future too.
The challenges for the industry are global warming and climate
change, inconsistent commodity prices and escalating cost. No
sustainable solutions have been found for any of these issues
and therefore, it is of concern to the company. It is time that all
stakeholders get together and find a long-term solution or else
this can affect the long term stability of the plantation sector. The
R.M. Fernando
Managing Director
23 rd August 2011
6
Elpitiya Plantations Plc Annual Report 2010/11