Productivity improvement training for cinnamon growers
Ceylon Chamber and Citi empower rural economy:
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A training program in progress |
The Rural Economic Empowerment Program, a joint effort between Citi
Bank, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and NDB Bank, to nurture
prospective rural entrepreneurs, recently conducted a technical training
program for cinnamon growers in the Dadayamkanda village in Embilipitiya,
Ratnapura.
The program focused on introducing productivity based technical
training for cinnamon growers in and around the Dadayamkanda village.
The training was conducted by resource people from the Ratnapura
District Office of the Department of Export Agriculture. The program
used a participatory approach to encourage the exchange of ideas and
sharing of experiences of cinnamon growers, most of whom have been
engaged in the trade for over 15 years.
The training focused on two main themes: productivity improvement of
cinnamon cultivation; and motivating farmers to become entrepreneurs.
During the program, farmers were given field demonstrations, awareness
on good cultivation practices and yield management techniques.
It was evident that the 34 cinnamon growers, who took part in the
training program are not adopting good cultivation practices, thus
dropping yield levels to 150 kg - 200 kg of cinnamon per year, while the
efficient growers in the Southern Province reach a productivity level of
600 kg per year, a CCC official said. |
