Sri Lanka’s leading sector bank, HNB PLC, recently announced a strategic partnership with Wonrich Dairy (Pvt) Ltd under the Value Chain Financing Initiatives, marking a significant step towards enhancing the dairy sector in Sri Lanka.
This collaboration aims to empower dairy farmers by providing tailored financial solutions and support while offering them access to customized financial products, technical assistance, and essential resources.
“Our partnership with Wonrich Dairy is a significant step in our commitment to uplifting Sri Lanka’s dairy farming community. This collaboration reflects our dedication to providing innovative financial solutions that catalyze growth and development in the agricultural and animal husbandry sector. Our association with Wonrich Dairy underscores our shared focus on empowering local farmers and promoting sustainable farming practices – which is also a testament to our efforts in driving meaningful transformation within this vital industry,” said HNB DGM – SME and Micro Finance, Rajive Dissanayake.
The key benefits of this partnership include tailored financial products that enable farmers to invest in modern farming techniques and equipment, comprehensive training programs and technical support to help them adopt best practices, facilitate access to high-quality inputs like feed, veterinary services, breeding stock and the creation of a robust value chain that supports farmers from production to market, enhancing their income.
“Through this strategic partnership, HNB and Wonrich Dairy are united in our vision to cultivate a sustainable and prosperous future for Sri Lanka’s dairy farming community. We are confident that this collaboration will catalyze positive transformation within the dairy industry, directly benefiting thousands of farmers nationwide and elevating the industry as a whole. Together, we are paving the way for a more resilient and thriving dairy sector that will contribute significantly to the country’s economic development and food security,” said Wonrich Dairy MD/CEO R. M. Ratnayake.
The initiative will involve over 12,500 dairy farmers from across various regions of Sri Lanka. The program will include workshops and training sessions conducted by agricultural experts and industry professionals, focusing on modern dairy farming techniques and business management.
With 254 customer centres, HNB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest, most technologically innovative private banks. Consolidating its legacy in sustainability, good governance, and corporate excellence, HNB was crowned the Best Corporate Citizen for 2022 at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Best Corporate Citizen Awards. Other significant accolades include being adjudged the “Best Automobile Financing Bank in the Asia-Pacific Region,” and “Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka” for the 14th occasion by the Asian Banker, being declared the “Best SME Bank” by Asiamoney Magazine, as well as securing a Top 5 position on Business Today’s Top 40 rankings for 2023.
Image 01: HNB Acting CEO Damith Pallewatte (fifth from left) exchanging the MoU with CEO/MD – Wonrich (Pvt) Ltd, R.M.C.P. Rathnayake (sixth from left) in the presence of (from left): HNB Manager (Nikaweratiya Branch) Akeel Ahamed, HNB Regional Business Head (NCR), Nirosh Edirisinghe, HNB Head of Microfinance, Mahinda Senevirathna, HNB DGM – SME and Micro Finance, Rajive Dissanayake, Wonrich (Pvt) Ltd HR Manager, E.M. Darmasiri Ekanayake, Wonrich (Pvt) Ltd Assistant Manager, D.M.C.B. Dissanayake HNB Relationship Manager – MF/NCR, Hiran Karunarathna and HNB Manager Micro Finance, Amila Jayasekara.
