The first batch of Raga, a kithul-based beverage is to be exported shortly following keen interest shown by countries that have come to know the product by Agri Deshiya (Pvt) Ltd., a company committed to elevating the country through value-added agricultural products.
“We had discussions with Japan and were consulted by Russia and hopefully we would export the first batch by early 2022,” said Agri Deshiya Chairman Prabath De Alwis upbeat about the product capturing the global market soon.
A hundred percent natural Sri Lankan product for the export market was launched last week at the state-of-the-art Agri Deshiya factory at the Nalanda Ellawala Industrial Zone, Ratnapura.
The company targets around 1,500 cans a day initially and then increase production according to demand.
“We are initially targeting the Diaspora community to promote the brand who would tell the story to the rest of the world that would cherish a health beverage,” De Alwis said.
It is only half of around 40 million kithul trees in the country that are being tapped leaving ample scope for higher utilisation.
“We are well aware of the need to mechanise tapping due to the acute dearth of tappers. Currently around 150 tappers supply sap to us for which a premium price is offered based on the standard of the sap,” a company official said.
Plans are afoot to plant one million kithul plants under an initiative by the Ministry of Coconut, Kithul and Palmyrah Cultivation Promotion.
The country aims at increasing forex earning from exports of agri-products. Foreign earnings from coconut and coconut based products was over US$ 600 million last year.
The production facility is equipped with state-of-the-art brewing and canning technologies, enabling rāgā products to revolutionize one of Sri Lanka’s most admired yet, severely under-utilised foods: Kithul.
“We are extremely proud of the fact that, through rāgā, we have not reimagined the potential of our island nation’s underappreciated agro-resources such as Kithul, but we have also paved the way for the traditional, village level Kithul tapping trade to become an internationally recognised industry,” said De Alwis.
The technology partner, Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) has played a critical role in providing pioneering and unique technologies that have been incorporated at each step of the production process.
These advanced mechanisms, including the first ever Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for the collection of Kithul sap in Sri Lanka, has been put in place to ensure premium quality in every product.
Agri Deshiya founded in 2019, uses ethical methods in technological agriculture to enhance the industry within the agro-based economy.