A cross-functional leadership team from Sarvodaya Development Finance PLC (SDF) has completed the International Programme on Agri-Innovate: A Value Creation Journey from Soil to Shelf at the Faculty of Business Administration, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, delivered in collaboration with the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM). The mid-September programme focused on end-to-end value-chain innovation, from farm productivity and logistics to markets, risk management and consumer insight, aimed at accelerating sustainable growth in Sri Lanka’s agri-MSME segment.
Branded as “AGRI-INNOVATION From Soil to Shelf: The Value Creation Journey,” the mid-September immersion at Kasetsart University took a 10-member SDF cohort through a tightly sequenced mix of classroom and field learning. The cross-functional group—senior managers from sales, operations, product, lending and recoveries, including zonal leaders and heads of Leasing, SME, Housing Loans, Admin & Operations, and Recoveries—was intentionally selected to place experienced, market-facing practitioners at the centre of product design and policy execution.
Across the week, the team completed sessions on value-added product development and branding, and undertook guided visits to the One Stop Dairy Farm, the Talaad Thai fresh-produce market, key import/community wholesale and retail hubs, and selected farm/manufacturing outlets, culminating in a closing review and presentations.
This end-to-end exposure strengthened SDF’s ability to map value chains, understand price discovery and logistics, and translate consumer insight into finance solutions—ensuring field realities inform value-chain finance, digital collections, and risk controls for rural customers.
