Crysbro helps improve farming practices in Kantale

Crysbro, a major player in the country’s poultry industry recently spearheaded the development of a water irrigation system to strengthen and elevate farming practices in the Suriyapura and Helambayaya villages in the Kantale region, a company news release said.

Launched in association with the Department of Mahaweli Development and Environment and The Ministry of Irrigation, Crysbro’s latest initiative aims to alleviate rural poverty in these villages deeply affected by constant drought and the 30-year long civil war in Sri Lanka.

“The new irrigation system provides these two villages with a permanent source of water to nourish their farming practices all year long, allowing them to cultivate during both the Yala and Maha seasons; a previously unknown reality due to constant droughts,” the release said.

“Although the Mahaweli River flows past this region, villagers were unable to construct a small canal as close as four km away, which is the ideal location for a primary water source for their cultivations. While several attempts were made to inform political authorities regarding their critical requirement, none have proven to be successful.”

Commenting on the initiative, Chairman – Farmer’s Association of Kantale Helambayaya G.G. Bandula, “Although our farmers have made numerous attempts to cultivate during the Yala and Maha seasons after the war, we were not successful due to insufficient access to a reliable water source. Due to the unpredictable nature of rains in the region, we have long suffered from constant droughts for most part of the year.

“The answer to this predicament was a permanent water source in the form of a canal dug just 4 km away from the villages that is fed by the Mahaweli River. We took various measures to make this project a success, but in the end, it was with Crysbro’s vision that we were able to make our long – cherished dream a reality.”

“The new canal was built upon the fervent request of the Helambayaya Farmer’s Association, and was given technical support and approval by the department of Mahaweli Development and Ministry of Irrigation. Crysbro also provided state-of-the-art excavating machinery and earth moving equipment free of charge, towards the success of this project” Crysboro said.

“As a fully home-grown company, Crysbro has always been at the forefront of spearheading initiatives that uplift the rural population and alleviate rural poverty. Over the years, our initiatives have made a significant contribution to elevate agricultural infrastructure in the country as well as to create new entrepreneurs within these communities thereby bringing employment opportunities and a steady source of income for a large number of families. In many areas in Kantale too which was a region deeply impacted by the Civil War, we managed to embolden and elevate the living standards of communities by offering entrepreneurship opportunities and improving their agricultural infrastructure to conduct cultivation operations better and faster,” Crysbro Senior Marketing Manager, Amores Sellar said.