US aids to grow cucumber instead of paddy in Sri Lanka

(July 24, 2009) USAID, in partnership with the Sri Lankan agricultural manufacturer Hayleys Group, has launched a project with 600 farmers growing cucumber in Ampara and Moneragala districts. The expected harvest is 1,500 metric tons of cucumber valued at over $135,000.

"Hayleys' market access offers tremendous opportunities for Sri Lanka's farmers to switch from subsistence to commercial farming," says USAID website.

These small cucumbers are pickled in brine to become gherkins for the export market. Hayleys Group accounts for 34 percent of Sri Lanka's exports of fruits and vegetables and is the sole exporter of gherkins from Sri Lanka. At 8,000 tons a year, the yield accounts for 50 percent of the market for bottled pickles in Japan. Hayleys Group is also a major supplier to well-known international brands such as McDonalds, Burger King, Unilever, and Heinz, and accounts for 2.7 percent of Sri Lanka's export income.

Posted in Ampara , farming , Monaragala , Sri Lanka , USAID