Damith Pallewatte, Acting CEO, HNB and other officials at the HNB Sarusara launch event in Nochchiyagama supporting the agripreneurs.
HNB Sarusara program in Nochchiyama, Anuradhapura was attended by over 700 agripreneurs. The event established a platform for demonstrating smart and precise agricultural techniques and solutions to enhance farm- ing practices, increase productivity, and improve livelihoods by leveraging modern technology. It featured a mini agriculture exhibition with over 20 leading agribusiness solution providers from across the country, offering comprehensive seed-to- shelf solutions that greatly benefited the participants. This initiative is the first of several planned interactions with the 16,000-strong farming community in the area of Nochchiyagama, aiming to provide agripreneurship solutions through HNB’s innovative agribusiness drive.
Damith Pallewatte, Acting CEO, HNB; Mahinda Senevirathne, Head of Microfinance, HNB; N. Keethiswaran, Head of SME Products and Partner- ships, HNB; Nirosh Edirisinghe, Regional Business Head (North-Central Region), HNB; Hiran Karunarathne, Regional Microfinance Manager (North-Central Region), HNB, accompanied by the team at Nochchiyagama led by Manager Nuwan Chandrasekara were part of the event together with several other branch teams and leadership from across the Bank’s NCR customer centers.
“HNB was one of the first banks to establish a presence in Nochchiyama, so we have a special connection with this community. For the last 45 years, we have sought to support them and their agripreneurs in building thriving, sustainable businesses by raising awareness and build- ing capacity for agri-modernisation and supporting the adoption of fuse technologies at the grassroots through such events. In this manner, we hope to revitalize the en- tire national agricultural sector and the broader economy. We express our sincere gratitude to our HNB agripreneurs for engaging in this vital ef- fort and to our teams on the ground who continue to show outstanding dedication to our continuing efforts to act as a partner in progress to all Sri Lankans,” stated Damith Pallewatte, Acting CEO, HNB.
Adding further, he said, “We are wholly commit- ted to providing the financial support and innovative tools, training, and exposure needed for these communities to thrive in this dynamic agricultural landscape. From precision agriculture and IoT integration to automated machinery and renewable energy solutions, we are dedicated to empowering you with technology that drives efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. Furthermore, our HNB Sarusara program aims to transform the agricultural sector by integrating cutting- edge practices, advanced financing solutions, and state-of-the-art technology. Our mission is to equip agripreneurs with the knowledge and resources for smart agriculture, boosting both productivity and sustainability.”
