Proper packaging system will reduce post harvest waste

Hiran H. Senewiratne

Sri Lanka's post harvest waste is 15 per cent to 20 per cent due to the lack of a transport and packaging system, Serendib Leisure Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Srilal Miththapala said.

"The country is losing a huge quantum of fruits and vegetables during the post harvest, which amounts to billion of rupees. Having a proper transportation and packaging system could reduce the waste considerably," Miththapala told the Daily News Business.

Therefore, an efficient and effective transport system will help overcome economic woes such Malaysia and Singapore in the region, he said.

Having a developed transport system is part of the infrastructure development and the government should focus on it constantly to promote rapid economic growth, he said.

Q: How could the global financial crisis be turned into an opportunity for Sri Lanka?

A: Sri Lanka is one of the value added destinations in the world. Therefore, Sri Lanka's offer for the tourist industry is diverse and we have to position ourselves as a value for money destination. We could achieve huge opportunities through marketing communication channels to target markets.

Q: Has Sri Lanka's tourist industry reached its full potential?

A: No! But under the new Tourism Act it could be promoted through private/public sector partnerships. The strategy is to identify separate markets and adopt separate communication strategies in each and every market to promote them.

Therefore, we have come up with a new branding "Small Miracle". That is authentic, untouched and unspoiled diverse nature of the country's beauty and nature.

Q: What is your prediction for the year 2009 in the tourism sector?

A: We are predicting that the number of tourist arrivals will come down considerably, because of the global financial crisis. With the public and private sector participation we must market tourist destinations that are less known destinations to tourists and should also offer good travel packages to face these challenges.

We also could target the Russian, Middle Eastern and Chinese markets, which are the least, affected with the global crisis.

Q: What are the future plans of your company?

A: We have three properties in our chain of hotels namely Club Hotel, Serendib Hotel at Bentota and Hotel Sigiriya at Sigiriya. We have many development plans in the pipeline, which have been put on hold due to the current economic conditions not only in the country but also globally.

Q: How would the high inflation rate impact Sri Lanka's tourism?

A: Due to the high inflation rate our costs is going up daily. Therefore, profit margins are getting thinner and consequently the break-even is also going up, which is a big issue.

The only alternative is to maintain quality standards in our hotels, perhaps new business models concerning energy conservation, water recycling and other innovative methods to enhance efficiency in the sector. That was a wake up call for productivity improvement for the sector.

Q: How would you advise the country's decision makers to resolve the burning issues in the country?

A: First, we have to find a durable solution for the North and East crisis in the country. Then we have to focus on infrastructure development activities, which is the need of the hour.

We have to streamline the transportation system especially the road and train network to provide an efficient and effective service to the public. Having a one-stop shop to provide the right environment to set up industries is also an important factor to promote direct foreign investments to Sri Lanka.

Q: How does the exchange rate impact the tourism sector in the country?

A: The tourist industry is the fourth largest foreign exchange earner in the country. More than 65,000 people are directly and 200,000 are indirectly involved in the sector. With the government's holding the rupee depreciation against the dollar it will have a negative impact on the country. This is detrimental to exports and we too are getting hit, because we are paying more foreign exchange for our imports.

Q: How does the global financial crisis impact the travel and tourism sector?

A: Year 2009 will be real tough for the travel and tourism sector globally. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that there will be a three per cent to four per cent drop in airline passengers while the World Tourism Organisation forecasts zero per cent to 2 per cent growth in tourist arrivals globally.

People are not willing to travel on account of the current economic downturn and they tend to curtail overseas travelling.

Q: What is your philosophy in life?

A: We need to have certain rules and values. We must treat people as human beings because nobody is perfect in this world.

I being a keen environmentalist always protects nature by paying due respect.

I also respect my family values. These are my philosophies in life.

Q: What is your retirement plan?

A: I want to retire when I reach retirement age to take up a less stressful job. I also want to get involved in environment protection activities especially to pursue wild elephant protection work in the country.

Profile

Name - Srilal Miththapala

School - St Peters College, Colombo
Education - Academic - Bachelor of Science -

Professional - Chartered Electrical Engineering -
Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineering (London) -
Member of the Chartered Management Institute

Civil Status - Married with two children.

Other occupation - President Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka -
Director, Hemtours (Pvt) Ltd - Member of the Board of Management of the
Institute of Tourism Management - Director Rainforest Ecolodge (Pvt) Ltd