Jinasena partners KAMICO to locally assemble agricultural machinery
Jinasena (Pvt.) Ltd has entered into a partnership with Korean Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative (KAMICO) to assemble agricultural machinery in Sri Lanka for the local and regional markets using Korean technical expertise.
The partnership will enable the two organisations to join hands to address the shortcomings of Sri Lankan agricultural machinery by improving the quality standards with technical expertise from KAMICO coupled with Jinasena’s in-depth knowledge of local agricultural requirements and conditions.
The two organisations will work closely with the Farm Machinery Research Centre (FMRC), the sole national level training institute for farm machinery in Sri Lanka, to develop agricultural machinery products that are best suited and needed for the agricultural fields in Sri Lanka.
Jinasena will bring down agricultural machinery designed and developed by KAMICO members, assemble and modify them in the Jinasena factory to suit the local market requirements. This approach will also serve as a foundation for Jinasena and KAMICO to use Sri Lanka as a agricultural machinery assembling hub and market to the South Asian region, where Sri Lanka’s existing trade partnerships will allow the products to be sold at a competitive price.
Jinasena Agricultural Machinery (JAM) provides a comprehensive range of specialised products and services that are powerful, fast, durable and efficient. The Jinasena Paddy Thresher and Reaper made its debut in 1978 and today the division’s expanding range of products includes bush/weed cutters, roto slathers, industrial lawn mowers, pepper threshers, rotary tillers, choppers, sievers, grinders and processed tea cutters.
JAM’S product range is made available through its network of 19 service centres located at Colombo, Bandarawela, Buttala, Girandurukotte, Beruwala, Ekala, Avissawella, Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Kaduruwela, Tambuttegama, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Ampara, Embilipitiya and Jaffna.
Expressing his opinion on the partnership, Jinasena (Pvt.) Ltd Director and Chief Operating Officer Dhanushka Wijayapala said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for both Jinasena and Sri Lanka as we will have access to world-class Korean technological expertise in agricultural machinery. The Jinasena sales team has a very good understanding of what is ideally-suited for the country’s diverse agricultural requirements.”
“Together with KAMICO experts, we will be able to modify the equipment to suit our market, assemble them in the Jinasena factory and launch them into the market after obtaining FMRC approval. We will also use Sri Lanka as a launchpad into the South Asian market which augers well for the country as well. This could be the starting point of Korean industries moving to Sri Lanka,” he added.
KAMICO Chairman Shin Gil Kim said: “We’ve found the ideal partner in Jinasena as it is a wellestablished company with decades of experience in agricultural machinery in Sri Lanka. It’s difficult to enter the South Asian market with products manufactured in South Korea due to our high cost of manufacture. Therefore, we are confident that when we use Korean expertise, assemble in Sri Lanka and export to the South Asian region, we will have a good opportunity to compete in the market.”