Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (pvt) Ltd

What Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (pvt) Ltd does

Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (pvt) Ltd (CAFT) is a Sri Lankan precision agriculture company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Hokandara South. It develops drone-based automation and crop-management technologies targeted at Sri Lanka's four largest crop industries — tea, coconut, paddy, and sugarcane — where it addresses acute labor shortages and yield losses through autonomous spraying, seeding, harvesting, pollination, and crop-health monitoring applications.

The company's technical platform combines aerial robotics, mechatronics, computer vision, and AI to deliver a portfolio that includes the patented Coconut Crown Management Unit (a trailer-mounted system with a 20-meter telescopic mast for ground-level remote operation of coconut crown tasks), the Paddy Transplanting Drone (structured direct seeding with claimed up to 80% reduction in planting material usage), the Tea Harvesting Drone and Autonomous Tea Spraying Drone with a Shade Tree Avoidance System, plus NDVI mapping drones and spray drones used across multiple crop types. A food R&D service line extends the offering into post-harvest processing and preservation. The company markets fully autonomous flight, NDVI-based multispectral crop health monitoring, and predictive yield analytics as core capabilities.

CAFT operates a direct B2B enterprise field-sales motion with crop-segmented consultation requests and quote-based pricing; no standard pricing, channel partners, or retail distribution are disclosed. The company is a private Sri Lankan limited company, founded by Susantha Gunawardene (Group Director of Ceylon Biscuits) and became a joint venture with Elpitiya Plantations PLC in 2023. It has co-development partnerships with tea and paddy industry stakeholders, and its sole operating geography is Sri Lanka. Revenue, funding, and headcount specifics are not publicly disclosed beyond a stated team size band of 11–50 employees.

Name

Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (pvt) Ltd

Legal name

Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (pvt) Ltd

Website

https://agrofoodtech.lk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAFT is a Sri Lankan precision agriculture company developing autonomous drone systems and patented automation (notably the Coconut Crown Management Unit) for tea, coconut, paddy, and sugarcane plantations, serving enterprise growers facing labor shortages through direct B2B sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Agriculture Drones and Automation

NAICS

Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerial Pesticide/Herbicide/Fungicide Application (AFACAIAE), Aerial Fertilizer & Micronutrient Application (AFACAIAD), Precision Irrigation & Water Optimization Services (Sensor-Based Scheduling, VRI Prescriptions) (AFACACAF)

Keywords

• Precision agriculture drones
• Crop spraying services
• Agricultural automation solutions
• Drone-based crop monitoring
• Plantation technology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hokandara South

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Agriculture Drone R&D Services: Research and development of advanced drone solutions for precision farming including crop monitoring, yield prediction, and automated spraying for sustainable agriculture.
2. Commercial Spraying Services: Precision pesticide and fertilizer application services delivered via drone technology to reduce waste, boost efficiency, and promote healthier crop growth. Revenue generated through service delivery contracts.
3. Food R&D Services: Developing innovative food processing and preservation methods to improve quality, safety, and shelf life for agricultural produce.
4. Automation Solutions: Sale or licensing of automation technologies including the Coconut Crown Management Unit and other patented technologies for automated harvesting, fertilizing, and health management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (CAFT) develops and deploys drone-based precision agriculture technologies and services for Sri Lanka's major crop industries (tea, coconut, paddy, sugarcane). The company provides agriculture drone R&D, commercial spraying services, food R&D, and crop-specific automation solutions including the patented Coconut Crown Management Unit and specialized drones for harvesting, seeding, spraying, and crop health monitoring.

Product overview

CAFT offers a comprehensive portfolio of precision farming and agroprocessing solutions centered around drone technology and automation. The core offering includes Agriculture Drone R&D services, Commercial Spraying Services, and Food R&D. These are complemented by four crop-specific management solutions: Coconut Tree Management, Paddy Crop Management, Tea Plantation Management, and Sugarcane Management. The product lineup features specialized drones including the patented Coconut Crown Management Unit (with 20-meter telescopic mast), Mapping Drone, NDVI Drone, Spray Drone, and semi-autonomous systems like Coconut Mast. Notable products include the Paddy Transplanting Drone (reducing planting material by 80%), Tea Harvesting Drone, and Autonomous Tea Spraying Drone with Shade Tree Avoidance System. All solutions are designed to address Sri Lanka's agricultural labor shortages through full or semi-autonomous operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coconut Crown Management Unit: Patented system mounted on a mobile trailer with a telescopic mast reaching up to 20 meters for precision crown management including spraying, harvesting, and pollination.
• Tea Harvesting Drone
• Paddy Transplanting Drone
• Autonomous Tea Spraying Drone

Products and services

• Agriculture Drone R&D

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% reduction in planting material usage for paddy seeding through drone-based direct seeding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Elpitiya Plantations PLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, CAFT became a joint venture with Elpitiya Plantations PLC, strengthening the company's mission to transform Sri Lanka's agricultural industry. This partnership provides strategic access to plantation operations and industry credibility.
• Industry Stakeholders (Tea Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with tea industry stakeholders, CAFT has introduced drones for fungicide spraying in tea plantations. This collaboration addresses labor shortages and ensures precise application, leading to healthier tea bushes and increased yields. Also co-developed Tea Harvesting Drone.
• Industry Partners (Paddy Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn collaboration with industry partners, CAFT developed a Paddy Transplanting Drone for direct seeding of paddy in structured patterns, reducing planting material usage by up to 80%.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trimble Agriculture: Established precision-agriculture technology provider offering GNSS-guided spraying, variable-rate application, and farm-management software. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the precision-agriculture services category that CAFT occupies.
• John Deere (See & Spray): Global farm-machinery leader with computer-vision-driven targeted spraying (See & Spray) for row crops and large plantations. Overlaps with CAFT on autonomous precision spraying, albeit at a different scale and crop mix.

Direct peers

• PrecisionHawk: Drone-based aerial analytics and precision agriculture platform for crop monitoring, NDVI mapping, and spraying. Directly comparable in offering data-driven drone operations for crop health and yield optimization — a major CAFT use case.
• DJI Agriculture: Global market leader in agricultural spraying drones (Agras series) with direct overlap to CAFT's spray-drone products and services, including autonomous precision spraying and seeding. DJI's Agras line is the dominant reference competitor for crop spraying and seeding drones worldwide.
• XAG: One of the largest agricultural drone and robotics companies globally, offering autonomous spraying, seeding, and crop analytics platforms. Direct overlap with CAFT's drone-based spraying, seeding (paddy), and precision-agriculture offerings.

Emerging players

• Sentera: Drone-based NDVI and multispectral imaging provider for agriculture, with platform integrations into agronomy workflows. Comparable to CAFT's NDVI drone and crop-health monitoring product line.
• Taranis: Aerial imagery and crop intelligence platform using drones and satellites for pest, disease, and yield monitoring. Comparable to CAFT's NDVI / crop-health monitoring capabilities and predictive analytics stack.

Regional players

• Skylark Drones: India-based drone-services and analytics provider serving agriculture and infrastructure. Comparable to CAFT in combining drone-based field operations with data-driven precision-agriculture service delivery in South Asia.
• Gamaya: Agri-analytics and precision-farming company with deep operations in Sri Lanka (tea, coconut, sugarcane). Overlaps with CAFT on Sri Lanka's plantation crops and crop-health monitoring, making it the most comparable in-country peer from an analytics standpoint.
• Marut Drones: India-based agricultural drone company offering spray and seeding drones plus drone-as-a-service for South Asian plantation and paddy operations. Closest regional peer to CAFT in terms of crop mix (paddy, plantation crops) and service-delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-A-WdbXDA-VDWk9PaQpSmA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ceylonagrofoodtech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceylon-agro-food-technologies-pvt-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ceylon Agro Food Technologies (pvt) Ltd