Ceylon Tobacco Company together with the Agriculture Ministry concluded the second programme aimed at promoting agro best practices & utilization of research techniques such as soil sampling to increase productivity whilst reducing the costs to local farmers at Kandapola, Nuwara Eliya last week. Over 50 vegetable farmers participated in the programme.

Ceylon Tobacco in its endeavour to share its farming best practices with non-tobacco growing farmers launched the second programme in Kandapola, Nuwara-Eliya, recently. These programmes are conducted at the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture, as a joint project.

The Ministry of Agriculture, at the request of Minister S. B. Dissanayake, invited the CTC last year to promote its farming best practices and work together with ministry officials to achieve the governments agricultural vision of "Regaining Sri Lanka".

Provincial Director of Agriculture Anton Wimalaratna speaking at the event said "The government in association with the private sector is cascading agro best practices to farmers to increase yields and their wealth. He also thanked the CTC for their effort in this regard. He told the farmers that the onus is on them to take these best practices forward and demonstrate to other farmers in the community how they increase their yield whilst reducing cost and hence increase their wealth."

Leaf Manager of Ceylon Tobacco Company speaking on the occasion said "This project of sharing agro best practices began at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture. The CTC whilst engaging in dialogue with its stake holders were requested to share their best practices in agriculture with non-tobacco farmers. We hope that such programmes would help these farmers to increase their yields. We believe at the CTC that we need to add value to the country & community within which we operate. Corporate Social Responsibility has been an integral part of our activities and programmes such as these demonstrates our sincerity of purpose".

The farmers who attended the programme will be continuously guided and monitored by the ministry with the assistance of CTC. Another programme has been scheduled for this year in Hanguranketha. These programmes will serve as a model to promote farming best practices to all other local farmers, in each region.