Aligning private capital with public purpose: The role of banks in driving a true Sri Lankan revival-part II

Across Sri Lanka, we meet many spirited entrepreneurs—from spice farms, and fisheries to young designers, software engineers, and even creative professionals - who each possess the drive and local insight to build vibrant businesses that can empower themselves financially, and create quality employment for others.

- By Damith Pallewatte, Managing Director/CEO, HNB PLC

Our role as a bank is to spot these visionaries early, to tailor financing and advisory support to their specific needs, and to partner with them as they scale. By doing so, we rebuild livelihoods and catalyse a new wave of valueadded enterprises that can compete nationally and even internationally.

At its core, Sarusara seeks to help Sri Lankan farmers understand, integrate and adapt to technology in their work. Confronted with yields well below global benchmarks, rural communities remain tethered to traditional practices not out of preference but because of entrenched knowledge and resource gaps.

We begin by introducing basic labour-saving implements—hand tractors, threshers and minicombine harvesters—but swiftly moves participants towards advanced systems such as droneassisted crop monitoring and mobile soilmapping services. Through pilot schemes set to scale in the coming year, we are laying the groundwork for precision agriculture practices to be scaled across the island, optimising fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, curbing waste while driving meaningful productivity gains and improving margins for farmers.