Developing Livestock functions within the plantation and thus adding value to the plantations

products and services and making the most by diversifying the land.

Cows, buffaloes, goats, pigs, sheep and etc…… could be done as livestock.

The cow dune and other animals waste could be utilized as bio gas. Then the bio gas surrey

could be used for agriculture plantations which would do more value adding to the plantation

as a whole.

The output of the bio gas could be utilized as a long term sustainable, renewable energy

source and would save money to the plantation in one way and make the plantation in the

other hand self-sufficient with its own private mini power plant with the use of bio gas.

Bio gas could be given to people through pipes as gas for gas cookers to utilize which would

once again save money for plantation and generate money revenue to the plantation through

its processes. The surrey of the bio gas could be used as a fertilizer to cultivate banana or

plantains.

Because there’s moisture in the surrey. Moisture that makes the process of fruit bearing faster

and nutritious with out using artificial chemicals that are harmful for the human body.

Utilization of the waste of the Bio-Gas as a fertilizer for plants such as vegetable’s, coconut,

green vegetables and fruits. The waste also can be Recycled, Reuse and reduce the carbon

foot print in Plantation Industrialization processes and in other related systems that happen

day in day out in Plantations.

Inter cropping and mix cropping could be done in between coconut trees. By doing this

maximum land utilization happens leaving no room for wastage of the land available within

the Plantation Land.Pineapple could be done as a under

plantation.Lime,Lemon,Oranges,Mandarin all this tonic giving acid juices could be done as

under planting making the space in between coconut plantations very rich.Grapes,cashew

could be also done as inter cropping. But in the Sri Lankan context most of these under

planting,inter cropping and mix cropping are done in plantations because of lack of

knowledge and not enough resource personnel to carry out the activities in doing so and

adding value to your products and services as well as getting an extra income through these

cultivations. And all the above add up to land diversification.

Mukunuwanne, Gotukola like green vegetables could be grown and using the surrey or the

waterish waste of bio gas by just connecting the green vegetable cultivation with a pipe to the

green vegetable’s growing system.

Pepper, coffee, giniciriya are crops that you could do while having coconut as your main

crop.by starting with a substantial amount of capital and assigning a suitable land for these

crops.coffe and pepper could be used to export and to look forward for untapped local, global

through that creating a glocal market and expanding it to mass production would in the long

term help the coconut plantation even when a recessions is hit or if the coconut plantation

industry is hit with some disease. To keep the plantation alive in turmoil situations because of

various disease spreading with coconut trees and destroying without any option.in that kind

of a scenario to totally uproot the mass plantations of coconut and to replant new coconut’s

plants needs a substantial amount of finances as well as human resource and to build again a

plantation from the scratch in such a scenario is hectic. Having pepper,coffee,giniciriya,doing

inter-cropping, mix- cropping and various cultivations in vast amount of lands and the

diversification of land plays a major role in major time .And the diversed crops and

cultivation within that was planted in between coconut trees would pay dividends .

Dragon fruit, cinnamon .Dragon fruit a new plant in the Sri Lankan context a foreign plant to

the Sri Lankan soil is becoming very popular among the metropolitan population in Colombo

and around suburbs. This foreign is also being exported and a substantial amount of revenue

and foreign exchange is brought back to this country by a few entrepreueneurs.Cinnamon in

the 1960,1970 a very popular export spice that attracted the merchants from the middle east

and an export money making venture for lots of businessmen in the good old days. A spice

that has lots it’s due recognition and reviewing this spice and exporting once again to

untapped markets would in years to come by looking forward for mass production by starting

small and keep this as a valuable and marketing this spice through branding would create

good name for the plantation in the years to come and would keep the loyal customers as well

as stake holders interested as well as shareholders injecting more money to the plantation.

Grass could be planted among land that where crops are not planted and also would keep out

wed plants and create a green carpet to the umbrella shading which would in turn create sub

cultural that is unique to the coconut plantation. Weed management plays a pivotal role in

this aspect when we take in to consideration grass planting. Livestock products animals in

diary buffaloes, cows could feed them.Mase and Sogam could be transformed in to silage.

Pig and sheep manure could be used as fertilizers for coconut trees. This in turn acts like

organic matter.

Rain water harvesting could be used to build water tanks like our forefathers used to do. It is

said that Sri Lankan’s so advance that in the era where kings used to rule this country Sri

Lankan irrigation engineers where send to Kashmir to help people both in Pakistan as well as

India. The dry zone of Sri Lanka was rich in water when the kingdoms realm was managed

by our kings and Queens. In a drought period utilizing rain water and storage would enable

the plantations the throughout the year have a good supply of water as well as to create mini

irrigation system inside the coconut plantation and fisheries could be done and once again

expanding rainwater harvesting and fisheries will create alternative revenue and cash

injecting ways as well as lots of job opportunities and create lots of alternative income ways

to the plantation as a whole and it would be able to enlighten the hard working labours day to

day livelihoods.by spending the money generated through these rain water harvesting and

fisheries would motivate these people and could be taken as an intrinsic factor that would

increase labour productivity. Hence happy employees generate high productivity.

Written by:- Mr.D.G.A.R DE SILVA

Dip Agri,BSc Plantation Mgt,

A.G.M. Plantations

Chilaw Plantations

02/03/12