Senior World Bank Group delegation visits Cargills Northern Operation in Jaffna as part of fact-finding mission

A senior delegation of The World Bank Board of Executive Directors visited the Cargills (Ceylon) PLC operations in the Northern region in late May as part of a fiveday visit to Sri Lanka covering meetings with top government officials and key private sector stakeholders. The team comprising nine Executive Directors visited IFC client Cargills (Ceylon) PLC’s operations in Jaffna, to meet farmers, who form part of the company’s agri supply chain, and local community leaders to discuss how access to markets has enhanced their livelihoods and options for further development of the sector.

The World Bank Directors engaged in one- on- one dis- cussions with farmers and local community leaders gaining their insight on the most effective means of enhancing livelihoods in the region with a focus on investment required for the development of the agriculture and dairy sectors in terms of infrastructure, technology, markets and policy incentives. Ranjit Page, Deputy Chairman of Cargills who was also on site noted the need to invest in sustainable water resources, health and educa- tion infrastructure so that the region can achieve its full potential and make a greater contribution to Sri Lanka’s growth.

The Cargills operation in the North includes fruit, vegetable and milk collection units, a fruit and vegetable primary processing centre, a milk processing unit in Kilinochchi, as well as Cargills Food City retail outlets, Cargills Square mall comprising a modern Cineplex and a KFC restaurant with a total investment exceeding Rs 1.3 Bn. The operations in the area provide over 300 direct employment opportunities while generating over 2,500 sustainable livelihoods to farmers and small entrepreneurs