Sri Lanka: From War Zone to Award-Winning Coconut Coir Factory
A Northern Sri Lankan Coco Peat Factory Launches Indoor Growing Products, helps Rebuild Community
By Jacki Page
Sakti Agro
Oct 2020
Raj Janan “Janan” grew up in Northern Sri Lanka and fled the country when the civil war broke out in 1984. He met business partner John Tastad back in 2001.
Over the years, they’ve started three different ventures together, ranging from technology companies to rebuilding houses after the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami.
The Sri Lankan civil war ended in 2009 but it was not safe to return due to the number of active landmines littered throughout the region.
Later in 2010, Janan traveled there to visit his home and the country that he left over 30 years ago. It was a heartbreaking visit as the beautiful Sri Lanka of his youth had transformed into a war zone wasteland riddled with bullets and mortar fire. The resulting destruction, loss and suffering the Sri Lankan Tamils endured was incomprehensible, but now they needed to move forward and rebuild.
Janan was immediately struck with the overwhelming desire to do something to help. He promptly set out researching potential businesses that could provide jobs and bring economic development to this remote part of the world that was left with little opportunities and the highest unemployment rate in the country. After researching for a few months he identified the need for the development of the coconut industry which was decimated during the war.
The first thing Janan did was to donate part of his family’s land and built a school, community center and women’s clinic.
He reached out to his long-time business partner, John Tastad and asked if he would finance and partner with him on this venture.
Sakti Agro was born.
Simply clearing Janan’s land proved dangerous as live bullets, hand grenades, rocket launchers were lying in wait throughout the property. After the land was cleared, they utilized the local workforce for the construction of a large-scale coconut fiber and coir pith processing facility which has never existed in the northern part of Sri Lanka.
They set out to build a modern facility with the welfare of the workers in mind by providing free meals to all the workers in addition to facilities like a medical room, changing room, and more. Sakti also provides free English tutoring for the workers and provides free tuition fees for any worker who is interested in pursuing higher education.
Simultaneous to the construction, Sakti replanted 2000 coconut trees, in addition to banana trees, moringa and started organic cultivation of vegetables to feed the workers. Their commitment is to transform 40 acres into a self-sustaining example of manufacturing, organic farming and cultural development.
Currently Sakti provides support to nearly 10 schools in the community in addition to community organizations and community festivals.
In 2019 Sakti was selected as the winner of the “Lak Rakiya Harasara” gold award. This is awarded by the Ministry of Manpower and Employment. This National award is an appreciation for local entrepreneurs and the self employers in the country on the basis of effective utilization of human resources and efficiently generating employment opportunities for the Sri Lankan labor force that uplifts living standards.
Today, Sakti has succeeded in providing employment for war widows, rehabilitated cadres, victims of landmines and war injuries. Currently they provide direct employment to 40 people and indirect employment to another 30 people in the north.
What is Coco Coir?
Coco coir is the ground husk of a coconut that has been washed several times, aged, and packaged for efficient home use. Over the last several years, coco coir has gained popularity with indoor growers looking to get better results from their home gardening projects. Coir is naturally aerated which allows roots to grow larger and healthier. This aeration also helps with watering as it is easier to flush than normal soil. Growers want control over their plants and coir gives them the ability to adjust important inputs.
What Makes Sakti Agro’s Coir Special?
Salt is the enemy of plants. Soils and coir with high salt content will damage the roots of a plant as it’s harder for them to absorb nutrients. Sakti Agro’s coir is triple washed with fresh water to remove as much salt as possible so the plant has no barrier between its roots and its food.
Sakti Agro’s coir also has a good pH for most plants. Each batch is tested and it comes in between 5.5-6.2 where most soil can be close to 7.0. Gardeners won’t need to adjust their pH as much than with regular soil.
Coir’s Special Use in Composting
Coir can be added to compost to help bulk and aerate your composting soil. Coir acts as a great supplement to any growing medium as it helps balance and add bulk where it’s needed. It holds moisture well while avoiding changes to your pH and electroconductivity. Roots will love this healthy addition to your compost.
Sakti Agro currently has three products available on Amazon.com: a 5kg coconut coir brick, a 3-pack of 650g coconut coir bricks, and a 50L bag of loose coir. All of these products are fantastic for gardening, indoor or outdoor potted plants, hydroponics, and composting.
