Corporate Social Responsibility

Of the many approaches to Corporate Social Responsibility, we have chosen the one which responds to all shareholders. This covers the economic, environmental and social parameters that form the Triple Bottom Line which is the foundation of the Company's goals and our guiding principles.

	Economic Initiatives
	The principal focus of the investments made in achieving the economic bottom line were increasing shareholder value. Expanding market share in consumer marketing, improving productivity, enhancing the quality of products and services, and sustaining the growth of company. Without restricting ourselves to traditional plantation crops, we decided to diversify into export agriculture crops and other vegetables. Pilot projects were very successfully implemented in the Carolina estate where pepper, vanilla, cardamom, areca nut, passion fruit and cinnamon are being cultivated. Unproductive land under seedling tea and uncultivated land in our estates in the Lindale region have been utilized to cultivate potatoes. The additional advantage gained from diversification is not only the resultant improvement in land productivity but also the fact that it addresses the issue of excess labour. Improving the processes in our factories in one of the several initiatives we have embarked upon, as part of our continuous drive to achieve the highest quality standards for our products. This strategy is aimed at making your company one of the best-managed plantation companies in the world. Standards on 5 S, ISO and most importantly HACCP are being implemented by adhering to the stringent measures and guidelines laid out by these systems. We received recognition for our efforts with the Kenilworth and Abbot sleigh factories being awarded the HACCP certificate.
	Social Responsibility
	Our primary goal is to be responsible corporate citizen that works with and enhances the quality of life in the local community. The key areas identified by us in this area were education, training and health. Accordingly we directed our resources towards adding value to these areas. Scholarship programmes for higher education are available not only for GCE A level students but also for undergraduate studies. Students from our estates are selected based on outstanding results at the relevant qualifying exams. We encourage continuous learning at all levels by investing in local and foreign training programmes and study tours, which are aimed at filling identified gaps in knowledge and skills. As part of our training programmes we also provide opportunities to our staff to observe the best development but the value of the company's human capital is also enhanced. Through health camps conducted at estate level, we assist our estate community in gaining access to physicians and specialists and also provide them with comprehensive body testing facilities including vision checks, free of charge. In collaboration with the PHDT Galle, we managed a very successful rehabilitation programme for 14 workers addicted to alcohol. Our efforts in improving housing facilities and health conditions at the Homadola estate have been recognized as evidenced by the several awards it has received for this.
	Drought Relief
	A prolonged drought created havoc in 16 districts of the country for a period of nine-months in 2004. Wells dried up depriving the residents not only of drinking water to perform their daily chores. With the drying up of tanks and waterways, people could not cultivate their paddy or engage in chena cultivation for two seasons, and as a result were left without any source of income. The Company and its employees decided to extend a helping hand to more than 500 families in Viharagama, a village in Medirigiriya, which was identified as being one of the worst affected by the drought. Two bowsers of water were dispatched all the way from Nakiadeniya. Under the direction of the Divisional Secretary, a team of our staff members went to a school in Viharagama where they distributed packs of dry rations to affected families.
	Our Response to the Tsunami
	We responded in a number of ways to the most devastating natural disaster the country faced on Dec 26, 2004. In addition to financial contributions to a common fund established by the Ministry and administered by the Planters' Association, we also independently embarked on other initiatives. The first initiative was to support a refugee camp in Kahawa where we provided water, cooked food and candles. This was done by utilizing our resources in the Udugama region. Subsequently the company employees including the CEO participated in cleaning camps set up in two schools in Galle and Ambalangoda. A sum of Rs. 100,000 was spent on buying and distributing kitchen utensils among 400 families in Habaraduwa. Our next project is to build a model village comprising of 25 houses in the Eastern province.
	Environment
	The company in its endeavours to work in harmony with the environment has invested heavily on controlling the effluents released by the factories in particular the Oil palm mill at Nakiadeniya. We have succeeded in meeting the stringent quality parameters demanded by the Central Environment Authority which has approved the license to emit such effluents from the Oil palm mill.