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| Sunday, 18 April 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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CCS opts for local produce for EGB Big boost for ginger farmer by Hiran H. Senewiratne Ceylon Cold Stores Ltd (CCS), popularly known as Elephant House, pioneers in the aerated water industry, in a bid to promote local ginger has opted to buy the local produce instead of imported varieties for the manufacture of Elephant brand Ginger Beer (EGB). EGB has a big demand, mainly due to its quality and delicious taste and in terms of bottled quantity of the product compared with other similar products in the country. The company had been using imported ginger for a considerable period, but decided to go for the local commodity to support the local ginger farmers by stopping imports, according to company sources. The company had signed an agreement recently with the local ginger farmers to purchase their produce directly for the manufacture of its famous soft drink. "We would give a higher price for farmers to encourage ginger cultivation in a big way in the country," said CCS Assistant Brand Manager, Upendra Gunawardena . An agreement to this effect was signed in Kandy under the 'Govi Sahanaya' system introduced by the Central Bank. Under this agreement, more than 120 ginger farmers in the Kandy district would benefit besides enabling the CCS to manufacture ginger beer with the local commodity, he said. The company required more than 200 metric tons of ginger for a year and, with a view to boosting the local produce, the company would pay a higher price than the imported stuff. Under the new Govi Sahanaya scheme, sale and distribution of the commodity would be intensified to meet the local demand. CCS is also planning to increase the market share, while raising the standard of life and productivity of the ginger farmers in the country, he added. Today, EGB is available in both bottled and canned form, and it dominates 90 per cent of the local market, while canned products are exported to Australia. Natural ginger was the main ingredient used in the manufacture of Elephant ginger beer since it was launched in 1896 by the CCS and it had increasingly grown in popularity over the years. |
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