Thursday, November 26, 2009

What is the most significant factor in my not being able to achieve my dream?

In four days it will be 5 years since I returned to Sri Lanka after being overseas, namely in the UK and the US since 1971. I have been meaning to write an update on my present evaluation of the pros and cons of this decision, but have not been able to get down to it yet. I however still expect to write something in detail in a future entry, if only as a record for me for future reference but also for those interested in making such a life changing decision, as it would help them better plan, learning from some of the mistakes I made along the way.
Many factors cumulatively have had a hand in my not being able to achieve the “Dream” I had in mind when I first arrived in Sri Lanka. I have had to modify my plans continuously as and when I had to face unforeseen obstacles along the way. I suspect that there are many more hurdles to be scaled before I achieve my utopia or at least some sense of normalcy that I am still craving for.
My single biggest failure in achieving my goals is that the workforce I employ, both young and old, have not been(despite my effort at every possible method) persuaded to follow the same goal I had set myself in the area of maximizing productivity of the area under our control, in whatever crop we mutually agreed was best to plant. This fact has convinced me that in order to achieve this objective, we have to minimize human interaction in these inputs, and use mechanical and electronic means of achieving these objectives. Gone are the days of peasant farmers. It is just an election winning subsidy that is counterproductive.
To explain what I mean, I had this lengthy plan, which we agreed soon after the disastrous previous harvest, that we do everything in our power, to maximize the yield both in kilograms, rupees and profit of the current paddy crop that I am in the midst of preparing for sowing. I gave him all the inputs he wanted including the best seed paddy and preparing the groundwork. He tells me a few days ago, that he has to go to his home village, with his family to attend the almsgiving of the second death anniversary of his brother’s demise and that his mother expects him to come, this in the midst of sowing, a critical period in the planting season. The four days I lose this key person, will definitely affect my harvest, but nothing I do or say will prevent him from leaving, as to him, (as it is with many in this country) certain rituals are non negotiable, except when they are slaving away in a Middle Eastern country. The weather has affected and delayed the planting schedule that is critical in my view, but the dates of his function are not flexible and attendance considered mandatory. Me as the risk taker suffers the cost and he as a paid employee bears no cost! If I were to set up a performance based remuneration, which I have already tried and found unworkable, this is not negotiable! It is easier to find a replacement cardiac surgeon for a critical operation in Sri Lanka, than a knowledgeable farm employee at short notice!
The commitment to a task in Sri Lanka just does not appear to be existent as evidenced by the rampant unreliability and non-attendance of low skilled employees whose sole goal is ensuring daily fulfillment without reference to the long term. The level to which these people take personal criticism is beyond belief. They down tools and leave within a moments notice if they have been perceived to have been slighted, as was the case yesterday when I reprimanded a 20yr old about his liaisons with my neighbor’s daughter, causing some friction with my neighbor.
While not trying to blow my own trumpet, I have no choice in not taking a day off work in the past 5 years to be able to meet my weekly sales deadlines to my customers as I need the resulting funds to make payroll and other liabilities. During this period in Sri Lanka, I have never known so many people, being so sick for so much of the time. I think it is the use and abuse of the free medical care given in this country that draws people to illness and hospital or excess eating.
During these five years, I have not had a particularly good or healthy diet and have very often skipped meals out of necessity, but I have suffered less illness than those who must have three square meals a day and grumble if it is not to their taste. Even on the day of my mother’s funeral, I had to first deliver my produce to my customers before attending the funeral, as there was no one who could substitute for me that time, and I was surviving on a hand to mouth basis. I have suffered severe back ache these past few weeks owing to stress and hard work, but have not had the luxury of taking time off, as I am the razor round which the whole wheel of my enterprise turns for lack of other support. The back ache seems to have corrected itself with work including heavy lifting of bunches of king coconuts delivered to my customers!
We must work together to bring about responsibility, discipline, level of priority to life, and attach more importance to the tasks. Industrialists seem to have achieved a level of this with trained workers. In the agricultural sector, if we are to see productivity improvements we must emulate this. Providing free anything is a recipe for disaster, and those farmers who have been given land for votes are the most unproductive. They don’t have a capital cost of the main input to contend with or pay any sort of premium for its use. If we reduce the human component in agriculture to a few trained dedicated and focused people and penalize those who are not maximizing their freely given resources, we can come out on top.

12 comments:

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Hello Mr Rajaratarala. I have been reading your blog with fascination and interest for some time, thank you for sharing.

I think that many of the events you describe in this post actually the kind of general issues we business people often face with our employees. Some of the things you describe have specific Sri Lankan contexts but the overall concepts could equally apply to my business here in London as you your enterprise there.

I think it's the ongoing quandary of being quite small, so we can't afford the luxury of many extra resources which we'll only use in an emergency, yet wanting to keep operating, or needing to, all the time.

One of my favourite sayings is that business life would be very easy if I didn't have staff or customers. But then I'd have no business of course. Sorry for the long comment.

Anonymous said...

5 years is a lifetime in business.

The fact that you have made no progress should speak volumes.

You are not cut out for it my friend. It is time to face the hard truth.

You have many talents of which blogging is one. It is time to make some changes in your life and do what you are good at. Not keep doing things in which you have been failing miserably for the last 5 years,

I want to hear some happiness and success stories on this blog.

Instead I am forced to hear a litany of incompetence and setbacks.

Good Luck

Jack Point said...

In your long years in the West you seem to have unwittingly absorbed the Protestant Worth Ethic.

What you encounter amongst the locals is what I now call the happy-go-lucky island culture.

In the corporate and business world some of the Western work practices have been absorbed.

Agriculture, excepting perhaps poultry farming which is now on an industrialised scale, being smallholder based goes on in the traditional way.

Tea, the most important export industry suffered a loss in productivity thanks to State control and the influence of politicised unions, although private management in the last 15 years has done a lot to improve matters.

Is it possible that those who look to traditional/rural agriculture to take this country out of poverty are mistaken?

Jack Point said...

sorry "Work Ethic" not "worth ethic"

And hats off you for trying.

Angel said...

I know it's hard... but maybe it's time for a change of tactics (instead of giving up and starting blogging full time for a living!)

Jack has a point about the island mentality, although it probably isn't confined to islands. Prof Mohammed Yunus talks about similar problems with Bangladeshi farmers. May I recommend his book, Banker to the poor?

Anonymous said...

Raja,

Congratulations on 5 years. Despite the setbacks and challenges, you are living the dream of many people. Without challenges, what is life? Many in the West are confined to their 9-5 jobs, and then go to home watch TV and start again, in a monotonous litany of mind-numbing repetition. Despite all of the nay-sayers, I think many yearn to experience the freedom that you experience to direct your dream as you are doing.

Jack and others are right about the island mentality, and you combine that with the family and religious obligations specific to Sri Lanka, and you are left in a highly unproductive country. That said, what if you started staffing your farm with war-displaced Tamils? Would you experience the same tribulations you experience with your current workforce?

Also, is there a way to turn the lack of knowledge/productivity of ag workers into an opportunity? How about starting a human resources company that can provide skilled labor at a slight premium to the current market rates for labor to needy entrepreneurs such as yourself? You can train them in ethic/techniques, and then use your contacts to place them with entrepreneurs that are facing the same situation that you are facing. In addition to providing a service to the community/country, you hopefully could make some profit. When life gives you lemons, make lemonaide!

Congratulations again, Raja. Despite the negative talk of some of your anonymous commentators, that may have their own agenda for dropping your current enterprise (like Sarath's merger with the UNP/TNA/JVP etc), you're doing what you like to do, and that is all one can ask in life.

Anonymous said...

Raja,

Congratulations on 5 years. Despite the setbacks and challenges, you are living the dream of many people. Without challenges, what is life? Many in the West are confined to their 9-5 jobs, and then go to home watch TV and start again, in a monotonous litany of mind-numbing repetition. Despite all of the nay-sayers, I think many yearn to experience the freedom that you experience to direct your dream as you are doing.

Jack and others are right about the island mentality, and you combine that with the family and religious obligations specific to Sri Lanka, and you are left in a highly unproductive country. That said, what if you started staffing your farm with war-displaced Tamils? Would you experience the same tribulations you experience with your current workforce?

Also, is there a way to turn the lack of knowledge/productivity of ag workers into an opportunity? How about starting a human resources company that can provide skilled labor at a slight premium to the current market rates for labor to needy entrepreneurs such as yourself? You can train them in ethic/techniques, and then use your contacts to place them with entrepreneurs that are facing the same situation that you are facing. In addition to providing a service to the community/country, you hopefully could make some profit. When life gives you lemons, make lemonaide!

Congratulations again, Raja. Despite the negative talk of some of your anonymous commentators, that may have their own agenda for dropping your current enterprise (like Sarath's merger with the UNP/TNA/JVP etc), you're doing what you like to do, and that is all one can ask in life.

nuwan2384 said...

Hello Mr. Rajaratarala !
Nice to see a farmer online ! i am also interested farming and think there is great potential in the paddy industry but i dont have any prior experience it the farming or any farm land. i have heard that you can lease land and cultivate ? is it possible ? can you guide me ?
Thanks

Rajaratarala said...

update on November 29th, My elusive staff member who I reported had to go for a dana called me last evening from dambedeniya hospital where he was involved in an accident where the three wheeler in which he was travelling hit a motorbike. He was to be transferrred to Kurunegala for X rays and possible leg fracture which would put him out of commission for at least a month. Such is the world of unexpected events. Small businesses is just too risky for the small businessman!!

Rajaratarala said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Ranjit, do u know this person?


SLFP’s Soma Kumari Tennekoon to be replaced with MRP’s Lakshman Hulugalle in Nikaweratiya



2009-09-19 | 12.05 PM

The President it is learnt has decided to remove former parliamentarian and North Western Provincial Councilor, Soma Kumari Tennekoon as the SLFP Nikaweratiya organizer and appoint member of the Mahinda Rajapakse Peramuna (MRP), Lakshman Hulugalle as the new organizer of the electorate.

Soma Kumari, who received the second highest preferential votes next to the Chief Ministerial candidate, Athula Wijesinghe at the North Western Provincial Council was not appointed as a Minister as she was promised nominations for the general election by the President.

Hulugalle has already started a media campaign against Soma Kumari’s close political confidante, Minister S.B. Navinna by accusing him of earning money by purchasing brass from the
security forces at low rates and selling them at a much higher rate. The media campaign carried out by Hulugalle against Soma Kumari and S.B. Navinna is reportedly carried out with the blessings of the President.

Apart from Soma Kumari, the President has also decided to remove several SLFP electoral organizers and replace them with MRP members. It has been decided to replace SLFP’s Polgahawela organizer Tikiri Adhikari with Ranjith Gunasekera, Panduvasnuwara organizer Dharmasiri Dahanayake with Sudarman Radaliyagoda, Hiriyala organizer Minister Salinda Dissanayake with Nimal Chandrasiri de Silva and Bingiriya organizer Sudu Mahattaya with Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

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