by Sanath Nanayakkare

SLIM Sri Lanka has taken a new initiative towards its commitment to restart SrI Lanka’s economy by uplifting skills in the agribusiness sector.

With this objective in mind, SLIM recently unveiled their new Certificate in Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (CABE) which generates a number of learning outcomes, and entrepreneurial opportunities for the certificate holders.

The talent pool emerging from the program is expected to help boost agriculture’s contribution to the gross domestic product of the economy.

The course is designed to provide insights on market strategy, technical/practical skills and financial assistance available in the market for agripreneurs.

The collaborators for the course of study are: Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum, SAPP, FSLGA, The Ceylon Chamber Academy, SAPP, EDB, SLT Mobitel, Keells, Samaposha, and Onesh Agri.

The learning outcomes of the course are:

*Acquisition of entrepreneurial skills essential for starting and managing a successful, sustainable agribusiness ventures

* Gaining marketing, accounting, supply chain management and finance skills to make sound business decisions

* Understanding marketing as a philosophy, a business function, evolution and its key compositions

* Applying the correct approaches to market segmentation, targeting and positioning in developing marketing strategies

To impart the knowledge on these areas, the course consists of 11 modules including Smart Agriculture and building an entrepreneurial business plan.

The course will have a blended learning approach with a combination of field training and online sessions

The content and presentations will be made in all three languages. The course fee is Rs. 35,000

This process driven course of study at grassroots level could help collaborative partners to identify and pick the right talent for their own organizations.

Further, the certificate holders with right talent will likely have local and overseas market opportunities with the EDB, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce – Academy and other collaborative partners.

Suresh de Mel, Export Development Board Chairman, the chief guest of the event, assured EDB’s fullest support to SLIM and other collaborative partners to make the course a fruitful one for the agribusiness sector in Sri Lanka and for potential agripreneurs in terms of creating marketing opportunities for them.

SLIM President Roshan Fernando said, “This course of study will provide the participants with a rich and rewarding experience in agri-sector marketing. This is the promise we give for transformation of our value added agriculture produces to be effectively marketed in Sri Lanka and overseas. SLIM will be building a competent pool of agri-business marketers as an outcome of this program.

“I urge the agr-business leaders gathered here to pick the right talent from the pool when it’s ready, to nurture them and if possible help take them to graduation level, because in the future your organizations will benefit from their meaningful contribution”.