‘DIMO Agribusinesses’, the agriculture arm of DIMO, has selected its Agri Techno Park located in Dambulla to embark on its journey in Agro Tourism. ‘DIMO Agribusinesses’ owns three Agri Techno Parks, which are located in Dambulla (mid- country), Nikaweratiya (low country, and Lindula (up- country wet zone). They operate with the aim of carrying out research and de- velopment, seed production, farmer education and training activities while also acting as model farms in each respective region. The company intends to enter the Agro Tourism market through these parks to cater to the growing number of tourists who are interested in an agri- culture-based holiday experi- ence. Tourists will have the op- portunity to gain first-hand knowledge and experience about the agricultural way of life in the country while staying in luxury cabanas or holiday bungalows located inside these Agri Techno Parks. The company officially opened two luxury chalets inside the Dambulla Agri Techno Park and expects to commence op- erations soon. Ranjith Pandithage, Chairman and Managing Director, DIMO stated, “Agro Tourism is a vast area and this is our first initia- tive in this field. We have se- lected our Agri Techno Park in Dambulla for this project since it is equipped with high-tech agriculture facilities that en- hance sustainable agriculture and is also situated in a beauti ful location, which will allow us to offer a real agriculture expe- rience to the tourists.” Gahanath Pandithage, Group CEO, DIMO said, “Agro Tourism is an important factor in the future tourism industry and many countries heavily focus on this area. Sri Lanka needs to seriously look at Agro Tourism. These types of initiatives will have a positive impact on the companies’ profitability and it is great that DIMO has made its footprint in this sector.” Asanga Ranasinghe, Director/ CMO, DIMO said, “This is an- other milestone to reshape the businesses of DIMO. We are into an aggressive growth journey in agriculture sector and this pro- ject will revolutionize the indus- try. Soon we will venture into agriculture output market and we expect to establish similar types of Agri Techno parks in the strategic locations of the country.” Priyanga Dematawa, General Manager for Agriculture Special Projects of DIMO expressed, “Dambulla Agri Techno Park is the first Agri Techno Park of DIMO. It conducts vegetable seed trials (local/imported, open pollinated/hybrid) fertilizer, crop care and other agriculture related trials to improve the quality of the agriculture pro- duction in Sri Lanka. This center is also equipped with a high-tech model farm complete with greenhouses and micro irrigation systems, vegetable seed techno unit and fruit or- chard, which will enable us to take the agriculture industry to next level. Once the two luxury chalets are open for business, they will offer a true Agro Tour- ism experience to the patrons. Urban agriculture enthusiasts may conveniently enjoy plant and seed nurseries, vegetable farms and fruit orchards while learning both modern and tra- ditional farming methods.
