Ma’s Food provides sustainable future for agriculture in Sri Lanka
24 Sep 2015 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Ma’s Food Processing (Pvt.) Ltd, a leading food manufacturer known for its commitment to the environment and the community for over 25 years, has been moving more and more of its products in line with organic farming and production principles over the last 10 years. This family-owned company prides itself in constantly working towards the betterment of its employees, suppliers and consumers.
The small-scale farmers are at the heart of the food production at Ma’s. The organisation gives first purchasing preference to small-scale farmers within the local community, thereby, providing sustainable trade to the local community. Ma’s initiated the formation of the Sustainable Agri-Farmers Enterprise Network (SAFENET) to assist small-scale farmers to reach international standard certifications of ‘Fair Trade’ and ‘Organic’. While the total costs of these international certifications are paid by Ma’s, this initiative has resulted in farmers being able to sell their produce at a higher price and ensured that a fair price is received throughout the year.
Ma’s has also invested in the health and safety of its producers and their workers by providing them with complementary occupational health and safety insurance. This is the first time that an organisation has provided such an insurance scheme for its farmers and their workers.
The company supports the education of the future generation by providing farmers’ children with their stationary requirement for the school year. Ma’s also supports the local communities of the farmer group by contributing to their social infrastructure. The organisation has been instrumental in restoring educational institutions that were nearing closure. In one such school, Ma’s provided and facilitated financial assistance to construct a library, children’s playground, canteen, an activity room and water and sanitation facilities. The local infrastructure projects initiated by Ma’s Foods were instrumental in bringing entire communities together as each household contributed to the success of the project by providing their time and labour.
In addition to its financial contributions, Ma’s has promoted organic farming and ethical trading in Sri Lanka by providing its internationally certified farmers with knowledge sharing and administrative assistance. Ma’s regularly imparts its expertise and guidance on organic farming, modern farming technology, good agricultural practices, documentation, financial planning and product quality knowledge to the producers of SAFENET. The farmers of who are members of this body also receive an occupational health and safety insurance cover to reduce the risk of families losing their livelihood due to work-related injury, which is currently being supported by Ma’s till SAFENET develops a sustainable system to take over this financial commitment.
They are also invited to participate in trainings on development planning. Administrative support to the members of SAFENET is provided by Ma’s extension officers who regularly visit the farmers to ensure their compliance of ‘Fair Trade’ and ‘Organic’ practices. A log book is maintained by each farmer and reviewed by the extension officer to measure compliance. The systemic maintenance of records in organic farming has also encouraged the younger generation to view farming as a sustainable livelihood.
The company has adopted a corporate social responsibility initiative for its employees which include providing them with accommodation. Where husband and wife are both employees of Ma’s, they are provided with married quarters for their families. In addition, all meals are provided free of charge by the company canteen. Over the past 20 years, Ma’s has invested in the education of its employees’ children by providing them with school books and supplies on an annual basis. Ma’s offers employment to all communities with no discrimination and have special allocations for differently abled persons and less employable persons.
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