Our Team

Senior economists blending decades of field research with policy expertise.

Meet Our Experts

Econagri is GSI Scandinavia’s dedicated research division focusing on socio-economic and agricultural insights.

A modern, professional office setting in Gothenburg with researchers discussing agricultural data charts.
A modern, professional office setting in Gothenburg with researchers discussing agricultural data charts.
Our Mission
Our Vision

Based in Gothenburg, we collaborate with universities and EU projects to shape agri-food policies.

Senior Research Profiles

Mr. W.A. Nalaka Wijesooriya

Senior Research Officer & Food Systems Lead Qualifications: MSc in Development Studies (University of Colombo) | Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Development | BSc in Agricultural Economics

Mr. Nalaka Wijesooriya is a senior food systems specialist and market intelligence expert with over two decades of experience in empirical food security assessments, price transmission dynamics, and agricultural market structures. His work focuses on identifying market frictions, evaluating price shocks, and resolving supply chain inefficiencies across primary agricultural commodities, with specialized national expertise in paddy and rice economies.

Core Methodological & Technical Toolkit

  • Market Integration & Price Transmission: Advanced spatial econometric modeling, co-integration testing, and measuring horizontal/vertical price transmission across agricultural markets.

  • Food Security Indexing: Formulation of multi-dimensional food security metrics, household vulnerability indices, and food access monitoring frameworks.

  • Market Intelligence & Surveillance: Designing automated commodity price tracking systems, market structure analysis, and supply-demand forecasting models.

Key Research Work & Academic Contributions

  • National Market Intelligence Frameworks: Developed comprehensive market surveillance architectures that track real-time price volatility and supply chain bottlenecks in major cereal and food grain markets.

  • Food Assistance & Vulnerability Assessments: Led primary research on household food security dynamics, assessing the socio-economic impacts of food inflation, emergency supply disruptions, and social safety net programs.

  • Paddy/Rice Economy Studies: Author of extensive empirical assessments examining producer-to-consumer price spreads, post-harvest losses, and mill-level market integration.

Professional Experience & Key Recognition

  • Presidential Recognition: Awarded the prestigious Presidential Certificate of Appreciation for Market Intelligence in recognition of his outstanding contributions to national agricultural market surveillance and economic modeling.

  • Field Survey Management & Team Leadership: Directs extensive socio-economic field teams conducting large-scale primary surveys, market trader interviews, and household vulnerability mappings.

  • Policy Advisory & Institutional Support: Regularly provides data-driven briefings and policy recommendations to national food security committees, disaster management agencies, and international development organizations.

Dr. T.A. Dharmaratne

Senior Economist & Policy Research Lead Qualifications: PhD in Development Economics (Huazhong University of Science and Technology) | MA in Development Studies (Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands) | BA (Hons) in Economics

Dr. T.A. Dharmaratne is a distinguished senior economist with over 30 years of high-level expertise in socio-economic research, political economy, and public policy impact evaluation. His scholarly and consulting work focuses on the qualitative evaluation of government interventions within agrarian economies, specializing in agricultural market price stabilization, fertilizer and seed subsidy frameworks, and smallholder poverty dynamics.

Core Methodological & Technical Toolkit

  • Quasi-Experimental Econometrics: Advanced expertise in Difference-in-Differences (DID) estimation, Propensity Score Matching (PSM), and panel data modeling for counterfactual impact evaluation.

  • Market & Price Modeling: Applied micro-econometric modeling of agricultural price shocks, commodity supply chains, and market price transmission.

  • Survey & Data Architecture: Designing and overseeing national-scale, multi-stage socio-economic field surveys, household vulnerability index construction, and baseline evaluation frameworks.

Key Research Work & Academic Contributions

  • Agricultural Statistics & Global Policy Conferences: Selected research contributor at the 10th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS-X 2026), presenting empirical methodologies on agricultural data modeling and policy evaluation.

  • Subsidy & Fiscal Impact Evaluations: Primary author of empirical studies evaluating the fiscal burden, market distortions, and socio-economic outcomes of state fertilizer and food subsidy programs.

  • Agrarian Transformation & Poverty Studies: Extensive published research examining structural changes in rural labor, smallholder technology adoption, and public anti-poverty agrarian interventions.

Professional Experience & Leadership

  • Principal Investigator (PI) & Advisory Lead: Has served as Principal Investigator on large-scale socio-economic evaluations, directing multi-disciplinary teams of data collectors, field enumerators, and statisticians.

  • Policy Advisory to Ministries & Public Bodies: Regularly advises agricultural ministries, national planning commissions, and state development agencies on agricultural market regulation, food emergency reserves, and trade policies.

  • International Development & Grant Collaboration: Extensive experience coordinating multi-country research initiatives with international development organizations, academic research institutes, and European grant bodies.

Dr. N.P.G. Samantha

Senior Econometrician & Trade Specialist Qualifications: PhD in Economics (Huazhong University of Science and Technology) | M.Phil. in Agricultural Economics | BSc in Agriculture (Hons)

Dr. N.P.G. Samantha is a senior quantitative economist with over two decades of expertise in macro-econometric modeling, international trade policy, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) impact analysis within the primary production and agribusiness sectors. His empirical work focuses on evaluating complex, multi-variable economic systems, analyzing the fiscal load of state subsidy programs, and modeling macroeconomic shocks across national food security frameworks.

Core Methodological & Technical Toolkit

  • Macro-Econometric Modeling & Forecasting: Time-series econometrics, vector autoregression (VAR), and panel data modeling for national commodity market forecasting.

  • Trade Policy & FDI Impact Analysis: Quantitative evaluation of trade liberalization, tariff adjustments, import-export restrictions, and foreign capital flows in primary agriculture.

  • Index Construction & Fiscal Analytics: Formulation of multi-indicator national food security indices and quantitative assessment of state subsidy burdens.

Key Research Work & Academic Contributions

  • National Food Security Indexing: Primary author and developer of empirical index frameworks measuring national food system stability, reserve sufficiency, and structural vulnerabilities.

  • Trade & Subsidy Policy Evaluations: Conducted extensive econometric research assessing the domestic market effects of agricultural tariffs, input subsidy allocations, and foreign investment dynamics.

  • Scholarly & Technical Publications: Author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, technical policy briefs, and statistical monographs for economic research councils and international policy institutions.

Professional Experience & Policy Advisory

  • Presidential Advisory Committees: Served as an expert advisor on high-level state committees tasked with formulating national food security indicators and strategic grain reserve policy frameworks.

  • Macroeconomic Planning & Analytics: Consulted for national planning agencies, central research institutes, and economic development councils on trade policy and agricultural taxation.

  • Multi-Country Data Strategy: Directs complex statistical projects processing multi-region cross-sectional and panel datasets for public sector clients and international research consortiums.

Mr. I.V. Kuruppu

Agribusiness & Econometric Analyst Qualifications: M.Phil. in Agribusiness Management | Master of Business Administration (MBA) | BSc in Agriculture (Hons)

Mr. I.V. Kuruppu is an experienced agribusiness strategist and quantitative analyst specializing in agricultural supply chain optimization, rural technology adoption, and climate-smart agricultural economics. His research addresses the economic viability of smallholder farming systems, circular bioeconomy transitions, post-harvest value addition, and commercialization strategies under variable climate regimes.

Core Methodological & Technical Toolkit

  • Technology Adoption & Choice Modeling: Quantitative econometrics modeling farmer decision-making, technology adoption rates, and adoption barriers for modern agrarian inputs.

  • Supply Chain & Financial Viability Analysis: End-to-end agri-food value chain evaluation, gross margin analysis, cost-benefit modeling, and post-harvest loss reduction.

  • Survey Architecture & Mixed Methods: Designing and managing primary field surveys, multi-stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and smallholder socio-economic baselines.

Key Research Work & Academic Contributions

  • Climate-Smart Technology Adoption: Developed econometric models measuring smallholder adoption dynamics and financial returns on climate-resilient farming techniques and modern irrigation systems.

  • Smallholder Market Integration Studies: Author of empirical assessments on contract farming models, rural producer organizations, and market access barriers for small-scale agribusinesses.

  • Resource Optimization & Bioeconomy: Research focused on circular bioeconomy transitions, resource-use efficiency, and sustainable agricultural intensification.

Professional Experience & Major Projects

  • Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP): Served as a key research analyst conducting socio-economic baselines, evaluating irrigation infrastructure investments, and measuring adaptive capacity among agricultural communities.

  • World Food Programme (WFP) Field Evaluations: Conducted rigorous field assessments evaluating food security interventions, emergency agricultural support, and community asset creation programs.

  • Agribusiness Advisory & Development: Provides data-driven decision-support models for international development organizations, public agricultural agencies, and private agribusiness enterprises across targeted agricultural regions.

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