Sanjay Wijemanne, Deputy General Manager – Retail Banking Group and Jayanthi Dharmasena, Managing Director, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings exchanging the MoU in the presence of (from left): Mahesh Rathnayake, Assistant Manager – Business Development – Leasing, HNB, Roshan De Silva, Assistant Manager – Leasing, HNB, Pujitha Jayawaradena, Senior Manager – Micro Finance, HNB, Susith Perera, Head of Leasing, HNB, Kanchana Karunagama, Assistant General Manager – PFS, HNB, Lushan Abesekara, Deputy Managing Director, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings, Sumith Herath, Equipment Division General Manager, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings, Ahamad Sathique, Sales Manager Heavy Machinery, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings, and Nuwan Niroshan, Assistant Manager Head of Tractor Sales, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings.
HNB announced its strategic partnership with the Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum (SLAF) and Agro World, which aimed to empower small and medium scale farmers participating in the Smart Village Program.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the trio with the participation of HNB, SLAF and Agro World.
This collaboration aims to provide these farmers access to financial needs, latest technology and new markets.
The initiative supports agricultural enterprises facing low productivity, lack of diversification, lack of market linkages, non-availability of inputs and limited access to much-needed credit facilities.
“Establishing new marketplaces, understanding global trends and adopting the latest technology is paramount for Sri Lanka’s success. Our objective is to support farmers across the country to have affordable funding, adopt new techniques to improve productivity and access new marketplaces, be it at home or across the globe,” said Rajive Dissanayake, Deputy General Manager, SME & Microfinance, HNB, said.
“The last few years have been challenging, especially for farmers battling evolving market conditions and the impact of changing weather patterns. We are delighted to be working with HNB in empowering the agriculture industry by strengthening supply chains and establishing sustainable marketplaces for our farmers,” Dr Selvanathan Anojan, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Agro World, said.
Selected farmers will receive comprehensive support from HNB, SLAF, and Agro World, facilitating access to grants, low-interest loans, state-of-the-art farming techniques, and a market to sell their produce.
