At the heart of Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector are smallholder farmers, who cultivate nearly 80% of agricultural land and produce approximately 80% of the nation’s food. They are essential to food security, rural employment, and economic stability. However, poverty among smallholder farmers is a persistent rural crisis with nearly 80% of country’s poor residing in rural areas.
Due to inefficient marketing systems – poor market access, inadequate storage facilities and a lack of information on market prices – smallholder farmers often receive less than the optimal market prices which considerably limit their ability to expand operations, improve productivity and achieve scale.
Against this backdrop, DevPro and Affno Virtual Market (Pvt) Limited (AVM) entered into a partnership today to launch a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) digital marketplace platform “Green Tape Agro”, which at the pilot phase, will connect cinnamon producers with end buyers.
AVM designs and operates Green Tape as a multi-product ecosystem that, in addition to serving buyers and suppliers, also strengthens them by enabling relevant intermediaries to provide services through the Platform and supporting new business models. In 2024, the Platform ranked among the top five finalists at the prestigious Asia Pacific e-Procurement Awards held in Singapore
The partnership will leverage DevPro’s extensive experience in agriculture value chain development, particularly its deep-rooted expertise in the spice value chain and farmer and producer networks across multiple districts to ensure effective coordination, awareness creation and successful farmer / producer engagement with the platform.
By connecting farmers directly with buyers, Green Tape Agro will ensure fair prices and more predictable income streams for farmers and direct access for buyers to fresh, high-quality produce at competitive prices.
This initiative aims to empower smallholder farmers and strengthen local economy by creating a transparent and sustainable supply chain and addressing post-harvest food losses.