All Sri Lankans should step aside their differences and unite to build a ‘better Sri Lanka’ , said Deputy Chairman, CEO, Executive Director, Cargils Ceylon Ranjit Page at the opening of their 500th outlet at Akuregoda Road, Pelawatte, Battaramulla yesterday.
He said that Sri Lanka is going through a rough patch and all should forget the past and unite to create a better future,” he said. He however said that steps should be taken not to repeat the past mistakes.
Page said that when they started Cargills supermarket in Colombo 39 years ago they never first dreamt that they would be able to branch out of Colombo secondly never thought the trendsetting Supermarket business would not rise to this high esteem. Today Cargill’s have an outlet in every key area. Cargills was also the first Southern entity to open to the Northern and Eastern provinces after the LTTE war.
Cargills has created a ready market for Sri Lankan farmers by sending its trucks across the country to source fresh produce in its farm-to-table concept in order to offer the freshest and hygienic products. By purchasing fresh produce directly from farmers, Cargills not only elevated their quality of life, but gave them hope for the future through its Saru Bima Fund. “We have nursed our staff and also suppliers and farmers who have now become top entrepreneurs and some even have large companies.”
Today, Cargills is the single largest collector of fresh produce, sourcing fresh fruits and vegetables from a network of over 5,000 farmers and contributes over 4% of the national production, a percentage that continues to grow. It is also the largest collector of fresh milk in Sri Lanka and contributes over 14% of the national milk production.
Cargills Food City has been a significant employment generator for youth between 20 to 30 years in-line with its expanding network and due to these we somewhat able to reverse the brain drain and provide quality and dignified employment for youth who earlier sought ‘odd jobs’ in village shops.
Governor Central Bank, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe praised Cargill’s for their initiatives on providing employment for youth and also maintaining a ‘fair price’ which helps towards curbing inflation. (SS)
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