With the establishment of Agro-Export Zones, dividends from exports that had hitherto been the preserve of a few individuals, would be distributed among a wider section of the people , hailing mainly from the rural hinterland of the country. So said Basil Rajapaksa, MP and Senior Presidential Advisor. He also said that under this scheme, the rural people will function not only as farmers but as stakeholders of the export drive as well.

He was speaking at a meeting held at Kandakkuwatte in the Bingiriya electorate to inaugurate the first Agro-Export Zone, under a scheme initiated by the Export Development Board (EDB).

These Agro-Export Zones would be established at selected places throughout the island under the concept of ‘one village-one export’. The zone opened at Bingiriya would concentrate on the cultivation of cut flowers and foliage plants for export. The main farm at Bingiriya that would cater to the farmers of the out-grower system is spread over .17 acres and includes a distribution centre, nursery, pilot plantation, a state-of-the-art laboratory, freezer facilities, advisory services and offices of export companies. The zone will initially cater to 350 farmers of the area. Sri Lanka earned foreign exchange to the value of Rupees 1362.2 million in 2007 from the export of cut flowers and foliage plants while that increased to Rupees 1459.6 million in 2008.

Speaking further, Basil Rajapaksa said that the two main pillars of Mahinda Chintana had been the achievement of an honourable peace and empowerment of the rural masses. Thus a great deal of money had been allocated to Agro-Export zone and Export Village concepts. He also said that up to now the export income of the country was shared among a limited number of people. Even in the case of the apparels industry, though the country had a large number of garment factories providing employment to a wide segment of the population, the net income from the export of garments was concentrated within a few families. The main and important objective of the Agro- Export zones was to help such income to percolate to the rural masses. He also said that, parallel to the development of export agriculture, Gama Neguma and Maga Neguma projects too have been launched with a view to improve infrastructure facilities throughout the island.

Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, speaking at the occasion, said these agro-export zones were launched at a critical moment in Sri Lanka’s history. Terrorism that had been haunting the country for more than two decades, would be completely wiped out within a short period, thus affording an opportunity to rejuvenate the economy. Two thirds of the country’s coastline that had been under terrorist threat could now be opened up for investment in spheres such as fisheries, tourism and mineral extraction and related industries. Furthermore , thousands of acres of fertile lands that had now come under the control of the Government, could be used as a launching pad to regenerate Sri Lankan agriculture. He also stressed the need to have creative programmes to utilize the resources that had been newly made available. A sum of Rupees 500 million had been allocated to the EDB for the establishment of AgroExport zones throughout the country.

Prof. Peiris also observed that farmers and cultivators of the Bingiriya area were more prone to shift from traditional farming practices to modern day hightechnological agriculture and that was the main reason to establish this zone around Bingiriya. In addition, the Government was willing to provide the farmers with information regarding new export markets and assistance to win such opportunities. It would also provide training in value-addition and packaging and also offer technical know how and correct guidance.

He also said that cut flowers and foliage plants, which would be the central commodity of the Bingiriya zone, were in great demand from Western countries such as Netherlands and that exporters in this sector had earned a large amount of foreign exchange during the last few years.

Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Health and Nutrition said that the agro-export Zone concept was a creative programme launched by Prof. Peiris to strengthen the national economy. He said that Sri Lanka should have a competitive economy in the international context and strive to earn the maximum amount of foreign exchange. All this time we had been exporting labour to the Middle East which had direct negative impacts on the individuals’ family lives. As a result other more creative options had to be thought of. In that respect, export agriculture could provide such an opportunity. He also said that the private sector had to be nurtured if economic prosperity was to be achieved. The inherent creativity of the local entrepreneurs should be harnessed for national development.

Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Minister of Enterprise Development, Investment Promotion, Media and Information said that in the past, the farmers were a isolated lot and there was no one to offer any solution to the market-related problems they faced on a daily basis. Though they wanted to enter the export markets, there was no one to guide them and the doors to such markets were firmly shut on them. But today, agriculture had been completely revolutionized into a highly lucrative enterprise and farmers who were used to traditional agriculture had diversified into planting high value export crops, thus offering many opportunities to the rural folk to better their living standards.

A letter of appointment was handed over to Sampath Dissanayake, who was appointed as the first Chairman of the Bingiriya Agro-Export Zone Company, while foliage plants were distributed among cultivators and some books were also handed over to school libraries in the area.

Among others who spoke at the occasion were Wimal Weerawansa, MP, Athula Wijesinghe, Attorney-at-Law and Chief Ministerial Candidate of the UPFA for Wayamba Provincial Council, Anil Koswatte, Chairman , EDB, Sarath Manuvendra, Chairman an, Cut Flowers and Foliage Plants Exporters’ Association and Somasiri Gunatillake, former Deputy Chairman, Wayamba Provincial Council. Among the others in attendance were Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Berty Premalal Dissanayake, Chief Minister, North-Central Provincial Council, S. Ranugge, Secretary, Ministry of Export Development, Ms. Sujatha Weerakoon, Director-General, EDB, other officials, exporters and farmers.