The Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently participated in a vibrant harvest ceremony in Vavunathivu in Batticaloa, celebrating the latest success in the Bank’s Agri Modernisation Village programme, an initiative that seeks to empower farmers to adopt transformative modern agricultural technology and practices.
This village-by-village mission aims to bridge traditional knowledge and modern agricultural technology, helping farmers increase productivity, improve sustainability, and strengthen their economic resilience. Guided by academic and agricultural experts, the programme equips farmers with advanced techniques such as sustainable irrigation, transplanting machinery, and climate-resilient crop varieties; promotes resource efficiency and environmentally responsible practices; and strengthens SME participation in the agricultural value chain.
By fostering collaboration, improving productivity, and promoting sustainable practices, the initiative supports rural livelihoods, strengthens food security, and inspires the next generation to view agriculture as a viable and rewarding profession.
The Vavunathivu event, titled ‘Potkathir,’ began with a procession to the fields accompanied by traditional Tamil cultural performances, followed by offerings to the gods, ceremonial harvesting by distinguished guests, and demonstrations of modern harvesting techniques introduced through the programme.
The ceremony also featured displays of agricultural machinery and equipment, and included two significant contributions from the Bank to the Faculty of Agriculture at the Eastern University: a solar-powered water pump system with micro-irrigation facilities donated in partnership with Hayleys Solar, and an in-kind contribution to reinstate the fertigation system of the faculty’s greenhouse.
Among the eminent guests at the event were Commercial Bank Chief Operating Officer Mr S. Prabagar, Deputy General Manager of Personal Banking Mr S. Ganeshan, the Additional Government Agent of Batticaloa Mrs N. Muhunthan, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the Eastern University Prof. P. Punitha, and the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture, Batticaloa, Mr M. Parameshwaran.
The Vavunathivu project is the second phase of Commercial Bank’s Agri Modernisation Village programme, launched last year in Kilinochchi in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Jaffna. The Batticaloa expansion was initiated at the request of the Eastern University and implemented with the support of the Government Agent of Batticaloa, the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture, the Dean and lecturers of the Faculty of Agriculture – Eastern University, and a group of progressive farmers.
Commercial Bank is the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and has the highest market capitalisation in the banking sector in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). The bank is the largest private sector lender, the largest lender to the SME sector, a leader in digital innovation and Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.
Commercial Bank operates a network of strategically located branches and automated machines island-wide and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 branches in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank in the Maldives, a microfinance company in Myanmar and a representative office within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The Bank’s fully owned subsidiaries, CBC Finance Ltd. and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Limited, also deliver a range of financial services via their own branch networks
Photo caption:
Highlights of the harvest ceremony in Vavunathivu.
