Cargills -A royal celebration of Independence

Anyone who crossed the main gate of BMICH between February 4 and 5 at the “Deyata Kirula 2007 Independence exhibition would not have missed the bright red hoarding with white lettering stating “Ratata Adambarayak’ (Pride of the nation).

The gigantic hoarding alone would have attracted more than 50% of the total turn out at the Cargills stall. Being one of the five main sponsors Cargills ensured that they were seen, the company said in a statement.

A gigantic life size image of the swelling Mahaweli River, served as the Cargills pavilion backdrop to communicate that the corporate giant has taken over from a royal heritage of nurturing and sustaining the agricultural economy with a message “as the Mahaweli river is the lifeblood of the nation, so is Cargills, the pride of the nation”.

“Our kings built colossal irrigation systems and developed agriculture. Thereby they developed our economy. Cargills wants to take this forward and build on this heritage to develop our economy,” Ranjit Page, Managing Director of Cargills (Ceylon) Ltd was quoted as saying.

Inside the stall the various panel on display bore testimony to this business strategy of Cargills. Each panel told a tale of how Cargills stands not just for a supermarket or an ice cream plant. “I am a paddy farmer from Dehiattakandiya. Cargills purchases my paddy. I learnt that Cargills purchases paddy from the entire Zone C of the Mahaweli Zone. The fact that Cargills is feeding our nation with our very own home grown rice is certainly something to be proud about” read one panel which depicted the life story of M.G. Jayasinghe Banda.

Cargills also gave the public a rare opportunity to having one to one chats with farmers scattered across Sri Lanka. Ajantha Nirosh a dairy farmer in Banduragoda explained to the crowd how Cargills has made a difference to his life and his family. “Before selling my milk to Cargills I just got 12 rupees for a litre of milk. Now I get more than 25 rupees. I also feel proud to know that Cargills Magic is just one of three ice cream manufacturers who make ice cream out of real fresh milk” he said.

Also on display were vegetables and fruits that were methodically stacked in plastic crates. The Cargills staff explained that the scientific method of packing vegetables and fruits can reduce unnecessary post-harvest losses.

The highlight of the Cargills stall was the attractive dancing troupe that took the stage time and time again rhythmically moving to the beat of nationalistic songs such as “Hela Jathika Abimane”. The crowds flocked to see their performances and the shouts of encore rocked the stall especially towards late evening. Dilip Perera and Lalith Pushpakumara, Training Managers at Cargills revealed that the striking dance team comprised none other than the Food City staff handpicked from what is clearly a highly talented and motivated pool of human resources.

At the conclusion of six days, modest estimates showed that the Cargills stall alone had fetched a crowd of more than a million over the six days. “It was certainly a success.

More than anything we got a rare opportunity to reach our target market, the masses directly. We were able to communicate to them that Cargills is more than just a supermarket and that through our business we make Sri Lanka proud,” Page added.