Page’s marketing strategy... - Buy our goods-Pay back in 60 days

Wednesday, 11 September 2013 

Chairman of the Cargills Group, Ranjit Page, who prefers to call himself a “most prestigous  Sri Lankan businessman” at any given time by wearing a Sri Lankan flag pin on his clothes, is exploiting even the poor farmers in the country, sources from the company said.

Ranjit Page harbours the shrewd aim of establishing an unwarranted trade monopoly together with patriotic fraudulent entrepreneurs in the Mawbima Lanka Foundation who under the guise of promoting local products is engaged in exploiting manufacturers and consumers in Sri Lanka.

The Cargills Groups of Companies that purchases fresh fruits and vegetables from the local farmers on a 60 day credit system although the goods are sold in the Cargills supermarkets island wide within a period of two weeks. Farmers have to wait for a period of time similar to the harvesting period in order to get their dues from Cargills. Even when state institutions like Lak Sathosa make their payments to local farmers between 14-30 days, the so-called patriotic institution like Cargills takes 60 days to pay the innocent farmers after using such funds for lending purposes in his bank.

It is Ranjith Page’s policy to sell expired and spoilt vegetables and fruits in the Cargills supermarkets by cutting them and packing them in polythene. When consumers complain to the supermarket that the goods purchased in such a manner have been spoilt and in no condition to be consumed, the supermarket sends a gift pack to the consumer in order to prevent the news from reaching the media.

A large number of complaints reach the Cargills supermarkets on a daily basis and a special team has been assigned to deal with such complaints.

Multinational companies like Fonterra, Unilever, Coco Cola, and Nestle are able to face such scenarios due to its financial powers. However, the local farmers are not in a position to face such a situation. They most often purchase the fertilizer and other requirements by selling or pawning their houses and other assets. The so-called successful Sri Lankan businessman Ranjit Page uses even the pittance owned by these farmers for his credit games with banks.

Meanwhile, the Cargills Group of Companies is also engaged in purchasing farmer associations island wide. The harvests of all these farmer associations are owned by Cargills. Chillies, pepper, other spices and pulses are now being packeted and sold under the Cargills brand name. Cargills is to also take over small scale grinding mills in the rural areas. Cargills will then hold the monopoly in that sector. It is now anyone’s guess if the Fair Trading Commission has gone to its final sleep given the current situation.

The President recently said that there were supermarkets springing like mushrooms in every nook and cranny in the country and there were doubts over the standards maintained by these supermarkets. Despite the media publicity given to the President’s statement, the Fair Trading Commission seems to be in a deep slumber.

There are now over 250 Cargills supermarkets island wide. Company sources say that the supermarket has now built itself a monopoly in the local market. The magnitude of the monopoly is such that if and when Ranjit Page requires Rs. 200 million in his drawers by tomorrow, all he has to do is to increase a kilo of rice by 25 cents and sugar by 20 cents.
This is the secret for Page to wear his Sri Lankan flag pin above his shirt pocket. Everyone sees the Sri Lankan flag and not Page’s pocket. This is the truth behind the slogan “Buy our goods.”
We will publish more details in the next few weeks.