The Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka and SLYCANTrust jointly hosted the Thematic Dialogue on Public-Private Partnerships for Optimizing Sustainable Financing in the Agriculture Sector

Agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, communities, and various stakeholders in Sri Lanka's agriculture sector are navigating a complex landscape of risks while seeking more sustainable, climate-friendly, and resilient approaches.

Recognizing the potential of partnerships between the public and private sectors, the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka and SLYCANTrust jointly hosted a thematic dialogue among key actors from the finance, insurance, and agrifood sectors to brainstorm priorities and potential modalities for blended finance instruments knowledge-sharing, and joint development of facilities and mechanisms in the agriculture sector.

The discussion focused on the importance of developing a pipeline of bankable projects for sustainable investments in the agri-food sector and identifying micro, meso and macro level resources that could be linked to a blended finance facility.

The event saw the participation of policy makers, senior government officials (Presidential Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, National Planning Department, Department of Development Finance, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, National Institute of Post Harvest Management) representatives from the private sector, financial institutions (Union Bank of Colombo PLC, People's Bank, DFCC Bank, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka, Alliance Finance Company  PLC, Seylan Bank PLC, Hatton National Bank PLC, Cargills Bank.)  insurance service providers (Allianz Insurance Lanka Limited, Fairfirst Insurance), associations, industry collectives (The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Global Compact Network     -    Sri Lanka, Spices and Allied Products Traders' Association (SAPTA), Lanka Fruit & Vegetable Producers, Processors and Exporters Association), and development partner agencies (ADB, JICA Sri Lanka/スリランカ事務所, UNDP Sri Lanka, IFAD).

This thematic dialogue serves as a critical step towards developing the architecture and structure of a blended finance facility as well as identifying vital partnerships, resources and a pipeline of projects to foster sustainable growth and resilience within Sri Lanka's agriculture sector.

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