HNB organises third study tour for farmers in India

by Gamini Warushamana

Hatton National Bank (HNB) organised its third overseas study tour for a group of farmers from November 12-20. Twelve farmers together with six bank officials left for India last week.

The bank organised its first study tour for farmers in 1989 where a group of farmers were sent to China. Thirteen farmers and four bank officials took part in the second tour organised in 1994 to India.

The program is an extension of HNB's support to the agricultural sector of the country. The bank officials said that the objective of the tour was to expose Sri Lankan farmers to new technology and productive agricultural practices.

Today our agricultural sector productivity is the lowest compared to the other sectors. The sector provides 32 percent of the employment but the GDP contribution is only 16%. The situation in other countries such as India and Thailand is different, they said.

HNB is the first private commercial bank which assisted the agricultural sector in the country. The HNB started its fruit agricultural credit program in 1973 in the Moneragala district. Thereafter the bank got involved in all agricultural micro credit programs initiated by the Central Bank, donor agencies such as World Bank and ADB or the government.

The HNB is the first commercial bank that recruited agricultural experts and field officers to the bank staff. Today the bank is involved in more than 10 rural sector re-finance and non re-finance credit lines and HNB rural branches have disbursed over Rs.20 billion in loans for the agricultural and rural sector.

The farmers who participated in this tour were selected from the customers of the bank as the bank believes that programs of this nature will encourage its customers. This is the first such initiative undertaken by a private commercial bank.

The HNB said that this is not only a responsibility of the government. These farmers will bring their experience to Sri Lanka and also share it with others. That will help them to do their work well and make agriculture a profitable business, bank officials said.

The group will visit Trichy, Thanjavur, Veppankulam, Nilakatai, Kadai Kanal districts in Tamilnadu and Kerala States in India. They will also visit some successful projects covering various agricultural technologies and agri business sectors such as soil and water management, organic farming, tissue culture, post harvest handling and processing, commercial floriculture, banana fibre processing and dairy farming.

[email protected]