Aquaculture

Dramatic rises in consumption of ecosystem services—including fresh water and capture fisheries have brought about greater poverty and marginalization as a result of depletion and even destruction of such key services.
Ironically it is the poor communities and developing countries that have benefited least
from rising consumption of ecosystem services are now bearing the brunt of
the costs of over consumption by the more affluent and the deficient environmental
policies and management systems generally in place.
Sri Lanka is by far no exception.
The company has already commenced its work to offer a solution in the field of aquaculture.
This has been initiated with the support of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
of Sri Lanka and the National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka. We currently
have over 100 acres of operational ponds and exclusive access to 3000 acres of lagoon for
cage culture, out growing systems and pearl culture, pioneering the way in Sri Lanka. Our
hatchery currently holds 16 pairs of brood stock, each capable of producing over 4,000,000
fingerlings annually.
Our core competence is in farming and harvesting aquaculture produce using
environmentally sustainable methods (Recycling‐oriented aquaculture systems utilizing
natural ecological
functions) for export to bring in foreign exchange earnings, to convert redundant prawn
farms into profitable fish farming produce for ready consumers from the EU & US markets
and to enhance the local production and intake of food protein. All this is done with
accordance to His Excellency President’s vision of increasing food protein levels to 22kg per
person, to alleviate farm income, to help farmers including aqua culturists, to preserve land
and water reserves, to provide financial aid to disadvantaged farmers, and to help farm
operations recuperate from the effects of disaster. We already supply New England Sea
Food one of the largest distributors of sea food in Europe and have signed agency
agreements with Japan Tuna Corporation to take on the role as their local representatives.
Our cold room chains are located strategically from Kalpitiya, Chilaw to Colombo.

Our fleets of freezer trucks help us to transport fish straight from the nets to the processing
plants. The Cedar fish meal factory has high enough a production to supply our own
requirements plus an export market.
Agriculture
We have opened a new division for agriculture with the same vision. Our mission is to
empower the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka by giving plants to disadvantaged farmers so
they may cultivate it. In return our purpose is to repurchase this produce from them
subsequently stabilizing farm income and thereby assisting farmers. We are also cultivating
bamboo, a new crop for the country, to introduce it here as a food source and for timber,
charcoal, yarn & ornamental use. The Cedar Group of Companies are currently finalising an
integrated agriculture, livestock & aquaculture development project in Monaragala, Sri
Lanka. This first of its kind project in Sri Lanka covers an area over 17,000 acres and its aim is
to implement and initiate an integrated, ‘zero emission’, ‘zero waste’, highly productive
farm that maximizes the use of renewable energies and turns ‘wastes’ into food and energy
resources. It is indeed a solution to the energy and food crisis that is capable of mitigating
climate change and more. Aquaponics is another new technique that will be on display in
Sri Lanka for the first time on the project. It will be possible to harvest 4 rice crops a year
using this method.
The project also serves as a demonstration, education and research centre, and incubator
for new ideas, designs and technologies. The aim is to promote and support similar farms all
over Sri Lanka and provide plenty of employment opportunities
Adding value agricultural produce
PROCESSING ‐ One very big problem with market produce is the drop in prices when farmers
harvest the same crops at the same time, and the big losses caused by unsold produce
because of the glut. Simple processes such as smoking, drying, salting, sugaring, pickling,
etc. Will be implemented so that surplus stock does not spoil. With the almost free access to
abundant biogas energy, we will have more sophisticated processing of the produce for
both preservation and added value.
Cedar is in the process of establishing a vacuum cooking and packing plant to supply world
super market chains with hygienic, organic, ready to eat/heat products including high
protein spreads and pates.
The extraction of omega 3 through fish bi‐products and the latest method through sea weed
is also in progress.

Commodity Trading & Commercial Instruments
Cedars Asset Management our finance & trading division is in the process of setting up an
office in Dubai with warehouse, packing plant and value adding services for our line of tea
and are actively involved in trading various commodities varying from steel, sugar to lentils.
Engineering & Construction
We have set up our own Engineering & Construction Division and invested heavily in
construction and earth moving equipment both for our own agricultural & aquaculture
projects as well as for external contracts.
R&D
Our laboratory is fully equipped and state of the art, therefore competent to meet
international standard requirements. We are currently engaged in research and studies in
relation to subject areas pertaining to Cloning, Tissue Culture, Seed Replication and Cell
Culture.
Our team are looking at ways to assemble, modify and convert quad bikes into Agricultural
All Terrain Vehicles (AATV) using local resources and expertise. These AATV’s will soon take
over from the hand tractor as they are more versatile and can negotiate all terrains with
ease.
We are currently building a prototype hovercraft, also using local resources wherever
possible. This carrier will be capable of working and transporting people and goods over
land & water. Ideal for the brackish water systems where most of our out‐grow systems are
in place.
We are currently in negotiations with the Industrial Technology Institute of Sri Lanka in
order to obtain exclusive rights to manufacture and market their product ‘Positha’ infant
food. This product was developed to target the malnourished infants aged 6 – 24 months in
the rural areas. We would very much be interested in setting up this plant in the
Monaragala District along with the proposed development plan as 55% of its content is rice
based.

Renewable Energy

The Cedar Group of Companies are setting up the infrastructure to produce bio‐gas from algae( from
our aquaculture ponds) and biomass from various crops been cultivated on agricultural projects with
the object of being less dependent on fossil fuels which are becoming more expensive as supplies
fall behind demand.
Bio‐gas provides a clean , easily controlled source of renewable energy from organic waste materials
replacing firewood & fossil fuels. By further compressing the bio‐gas we plan to make CBG. This
compressed bio‐gas can be used to fuel an internal combustion engine and even fuel cells.
We envision Sri Lanka’s public transport system to be using our CBG in the future just like in
Switzerland & Sweden. With absolutely no environmental pollutants as an off‐product!
Renewable, carbon neutral, transport fuels are necessary for environmental and economic
sustainability. It is with foresight that we are embarking to develop bio‐diesel from micro‐algae
sludge using the latest photosynthetic bio generators. In the future we look to collaborate and
produce Hydrogen Fuel Cells to run vehicles and buses, as currently being exhibited in Germany.
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