Hayleys Plantations’ management symposium demonstrates commitment to sustainability

Hayleys Plantations demonstrated its commitment to innovation and sustainability at its second annual Management Symposium 2024 under the theme: “Intellectual Intervention & Innovation in Plantations towards Sustainability”.

The event, hosted at The Kingsbury Hotel, brought together key industry leaders, stakeholders, and visionaries to celebrate excellence in plantation management. The symposium featured 11 transformative initiatives from Kelani Valley Plantations PLC (KVPL), Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTE PLC), and Horana Plantations PLC (HPL), all aimed at driving sustainable practices and empowering local communities.

In his address, Hayleys PLC Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohan Pandithage, emphasised the company’s focus on innovation, environmental sustainability, and community impact, stating: “The success of the Hayleys Group is built on principles of ethical business and sustainable innovation. Through such pioneering initiatives to share knowledge and best practices, Hayleys Plantations has once again demonstrated its continuing commitment to these foundational values, as enshrined in the Hayleys Lifecode.”  

Meanwhile, Hayleys Plantations Managing Director, Roshan Rajadurai, highlighted the critical engagement of modern agri-business strategies as pivotal to industry success. 

This sentiment resonated through the winning presentations of various innovative projects, such as Dewalakanda Estate’s value addition initiative, which aims to increase factory Net Sales Average (NSA) by 10 percent while reducing manufacturing costs by 20 percent. Great Western Estate highlighted processes that secured the highest gross sale average in the Western High Grown category, while Gouravilla Estate introduced sustainable tea nursery management using bamboo pots.

Other notable initiatives included Ederapola Estate’s solutions for rubber crop loss in non-rain-guarded fields and Radella Estate’s comprehensive nutrition program, which has improved worker health and productivity. Frocester Estate’s production of white coconut oil from small, desiccated coconuts demonstrated the broad range of innovative practices being implemented across the group’s estates.