Agrium – Infrastructure for technology based agricultural farm – Embilipitiya

Cultivation of food items by humans is as old as humanity itself and it is part and parcel of the forces of Mother Nature in which we all are a part of. Out in the open however, and under prevailing circumstances, there are positive forces of nature that facilitate and promote this cultivation process while there are also negative forces that undermine the same. Soil conditions, Water supply, Vagaries of weather, Pest, fungus and Animal attacks could be cited as examples.

Therefore, stepping up from rational thinking, N S Plantations (Private) Limited has decided to convert its 17 Acre teak estate to a modern farm with the use of technology to enhance the value of the resources. The project comprises 8 Nos of fully facilitated Polytunnels covering 20,000 Sq Ft scientifically controlled atmosphere, to ensure that only the required quantity of nutrition for optimum production is supplied to the plant. The entire estate is value added through drip irrigation system and 2 Nos of 200 ft deep tube well with a 400,000-liter capacity ground water storage pond with a geofabric.

The 3000 Sq ft process house along with the Dehumidifier drying machine facilitates the farm to clean and dry the products and the Reefer Container with refrigeration adds the value through temperature-controlled storage facilities. 60% of the overall investment valuing Sri Lanka Rupees 18 million is secured from World Bank funded Agriculture Sector Modernization Project and the rest of the investment including the 17-acre land are the capital investment of the shareholders.

NSA, the Strategic consultant of the project facilitate the project since the inception throughout the process of securing the funds from the World Bank, designing the farm master plan, coordinating the various specialists including geologists, hydrologists and modern Agri-specialists in addition to the designing of polytunnels, process house, tube wells, drip irrigation systems and other facility buildings.