The current coronavirus curfew has made inter-district travel in Sri Lanka almost impossible, leaving several supply chains in industries like agriculture, disrupted. Furthermore, with fewer supermarkets and produce sellers being active during this time, the importance of food security is even more pronounced. According to Honest Greens Director Aneeshan Tyagarajah, this outbreak has highlighted the need for countries to be more self-sufficient. Honest Greens is the first Sri Lankan indoor vertical farm located in Dankotuwa which grows their produce all year round, regardless of weather conditions, in an environmentally conscious setting. Co-founded by Tyagarajah, Sanuja Cooray, and Ashish Advani, the organisation first began its commercial operations in April 2019; after years of research, development, and trials with produce such as spinach. Wanting to change the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka by improving the industry’s infrastructure, the trio even managed to source a grant from the World Bank under its Agriculture Sector Modernisation Project. Growing indoors The company grows their plants in a climate-controlled room under artificial lights, which enables them to produce crops in times of flood and drought. Their farm also uses a precision hydroponics system, which enables them to grow their produce with 95% less water than traditional outdoor farms, and they also use modified atmospheric packaging to maintain freshness throughout this process. By completely internalising their value chain, Honest Greens is able go from farm to shop in 24 hours. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Tyagarajah stated that the issue of food security has become more apparent with the current global situation, and was further emphasised with international borders closing, making it extremely difficult to import crops from other countries. “This is where systems like ours excel. We are able to mimic the environment found in different countries, to be able to grow crops that aren’t native to Sri Lanka.” When asked if the current pandemic would reshape Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector, Tyagarajah explained that it has been fairly clear that there has been a major strain on the country’s food production and supply chain systems. He stated that this has led companies like Honest Greens to learn how to better adapt and streamline their processes to meet the country’s current needs, on a weekly basis. “I have no doubt that the agriculture industry will come out of this pandemic with more efficient operations which undoubtedly benefit the customer in the long run.” One of the motivations behind the trio’s decision to start Honest Greens was the lack of high-quality, fresh produce that would contribute to a healthier diet for Sri Lankans. According to Tyagarajah, the company’s farm can be designed to grow anything from leafy greens to berries. However, currently their farms are focused on leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, rocket, and basil, but are constantly testing out newer varieties of produce. He explained that their system is designed to mimic the day in the life of a plant. This would include changing the temperature, controlling the amount of light available, and feeding it with nutrients when required. “Naturally, this is all far more complex in reality, but innovators can go about it in a variety of ways to achieve the desired results.” Tyagarajah stated that their system ensures the plants get exactly what they need to make sure their customers get delicious produce every time. Additionally, he stated that their customers can rest assured that not a single bug has touched the produce, making it some of the cleanest produce available in the market. This, however, means that the price of their produce is slightly higher than the general produce found in local markets. Honest Greens also recently received the Sri Lanka Good Agricultural Practices (SLGAP) certification and is in the process of receiving International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification for the entire process that takes place at the farm. How to buy? He stated that they currently work with some of the largest five-star hotels and cafés in Colombo, and also supply major supermarket chains such as Keells, Food City, Arpico, Spar, and Glomark. Recently, however, Honest Greens has also taken up home deliveries. Tyagarajah explained that they started these home deliveries a month ago, when a majority of their HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, and café; hospitality industry) customers had to close their doors due to the Government’s regulations. He stated that this is what made them shift their focus towards delivering their produce directly to homes around Colombo. “I am unable to recall the exact number of deliveries, but we currently supply over 400 households with their leafy green needs and that number is growing week by week.” Having to deal with the current situation, he stated that they are currently only able to deliver to Colombo, while earlier they were able to supply to regions like Negombo, Ja-Ela, Galle, Hikkaduwa, and Weligama. According to Tyagarajah, the shift to home delivery gave them the opportunity to finally converse with their end users. He went on to state that the feedback they have received so far has been amazing, and attributes this positive response to the high-quality, fresh produce. “All our crops are harvested to order and delivered within 24 hours of harvest to ensure its freshness when it reaches the customer. It’s great to hear how much they love our products.” When asked if Honest Greens can keep up with the current rise in demand for fresh produce during the outbreak, Tyagarajah stated that their farm is designed to be modular and so as demand grows, they should be well equipped to deal with it. Covid-19 challenges Speaking on the challenges faced due to the ongoing curfew and lockdown, he explained that they initially had trouble figuring out the appropriate process for operations, as there was no clear direction from the relevant departments. However, he stated that as the weeks progressed, the procedure has become far more streamlined and clear cut. “There are a number of limitations, starting from the number of workers that can operate at any given time, however our team has come together and worked extremely hard to ensure this doesn’t affect our day-to-day operations.” Tyagarajah stated that currently around 20 employees are working in their farm, with most of the factory floor workers being employed from the area and being given tasks depending on their skill level. He stated that Honest Greens plans on expanding their delivery range to other parts of the country, but that the current prevailing pandemic has made it tough to predict a clear timeline. “We hope as things start to settle down, we will be able to cater to the areas we were supplying previously, before we start to branch further out to the rest of the country.”