The Founder & Chief Executive Officer of CAP Organic Private Limited, Ranjan Hanchapola, was born into a family in the agricultural business, who then resided in Trincomalee. Academically, Ranjan is a double degree holder in Quantity Surveying. He also holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Construction Management from Birmingham City University in addition to his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Studies from the University of Kelaniya.
He began his career in the field of construction and quantity surveying, where he had gained extensive knowledge. However, while working as a consultant for a considerable number of years, his roots have proved to be stronger, pulling him back into the agribusiness industry while he worked in the construction industry.
For several years, he was a Project Manager to a plantation project managed by a group of Norwegians in a few organizations in this sector, including the UN. Working with this group, he was encouraged to think that farming opportunities prompted him to establish a field, which led him to become an agro-enterprise for the Sri Lankan rural agricultural community. Ranjan was engrossed in growing and distributing Super-Fruit and Special Spices and Vegetables by encouraging farmers to join him in a special training program where a broad knowledge of contemporary trade dynamics was circulated and supported by organizing finance and offering secure services prices to their suppliers.
Having been established in 2019, CAP Organic Pvt. Ltd, the notion of empowerment initiatives for Soursop agriculture and farmers began. The CAP team is committed to returning to society, participating in humanitarian issues, and providing good value in the community.
Being in the cultivation industry, Ranjan came to see farmers’ anguish in disposing of highly-priced fruit in a short period, which led him to examine techniques for the preservation of crops. This led to the identification of the possibility of producing highly demanding, value-added goods. Moreover, his inventive, creative and charming nature has enabled him to create strong contacts with growers, local officials and foreign buyers in a short period and establish a worldwide product variety.
Diverse study and economic analysis have uncovered Soursop/Nutrition Graviola’s Werte & Medicinal Prospects, which mainly unlock the VAP idea and give life to CAP Bio. Through that time, the producers have become more short-term commodities such as cereals, maize, and sesame, etc. The CAP Green Forest (Pvt) Ltd is the primary CAP collective to be established in 2015 and has been pioneered by Ranjan Hanchapola. However, the company recognizes soursop as an inestimable form of energy and pharmaceuticals that can be cultivated conveniently with a bit of focus on its commercial life of around three decades.
“Today, together with the Export Development Board in Sri Lanka, we have also made our international presence, taking the jungle’s miracle cure to the world!” Ranjan added proudly.
Seeing that the farmers were initially more interested in growing traditional crops, Ranjan recognized the gap of technology or financial investments that were valuable assets these farmers were yet to fully use. Therefore, the CAP team proceeded to fill this gap. As a result, a CAP Green Forest (Pvt) Ltd idea of soursop farming and soursop value-added goods were created, which led the following kid to form the CAP Group, CAP Organic (Pvt) Ltd.
According to Ranjan, the goal was always to push the farmers to grow away from the traditional crops. He believes they have raised a considerable level of awareness for farmers to start seeing the strategy’s pros.
“It takes 3 years tops to get a good commercial harvest of soursop, although the farmers are quite reluctant to wait to reap the perks,” Ranjan added. Therefore, convincing the farmers has always been tough, but thanks to the CAP team’s expertise, the farmers who have believed in the strategy can earn up to 8 lakhs from an acre, which will run smoothly for about 3 more decades. Water, an essential part of the whole process, was also a challenge to be dealt with. However, with the use of drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation and their tactics, the team has managed to obtain maximum output from minimal water use. “We also have introduced a system where the required amount of water will be distributed to the plants, and regardless of the seasonal change and whether the ponds dry out, there won’t be any difficulty having this irrigation system in place. This method is working pretty well so far. Otherwise, the farmers were used to the flood irrigation process, which includes water wastage. “ Ranjan put his efficient and sustainable planning into words.
After harvesting, a pulping plant is set in place, making the process of extracting pulps, storing them, and distributing them efficient and easy. The virgin lands were transformed into organic soil with the help of technology, which was then used to cultivate many crops. The team’s expert belief is that fertilizer or pesticides are not required to facilitate soursop or jackfruit, including other non-traditional crops that were introduced. According to Ranjan, when combined with the Fairtrade system, it encourages farmers, providing a solid backbone for their efforts and allowing CAP organic to conquer global stages. The process never fails to go hand-in-hand with the latest technology to maintain authenticity at its best without chemical preservation to retain organic goods.
“You have to climb the mountain not to show yourself to the world, but to see the world clearly for yourself,” added Ranjan, standing over the tower of success and with a hint of humble pride.