Business
Adaptive resilience: Malwatte Valley harnesses tech and innovation to redefine plantation productivity
Since inception the plantation industry has served as a central pillar of the Sri Lankan economy. Tea in particular has been the lynchpin of the industry. Especially for globally renowned Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) like Malwatte Valley Plantations PLC, whose teas are possessed of a globally unique terroir that emerges from the soil, elevation and dry winds that move through the valley.
Their teas have a distinctively mellow, smooth, and highly aromatic flavor profile that global connoisseurs aggressively seek out. Yet like all other agri-businesses today, the company faces growing threats from a combination of rising costs, crop disease, climate change and global market volatility.
Spread across tea estates in the Uva province and low-country land around Avissawella, Malwatte has built its reputation over decades as one of the nation’s highest quality producers of quality Ceylon tea, rubber, spices, and a growing range of value-added products.
Today, it exports to markets across the Middle East, Europe, Russia, China, Australia, and Japan, and ranks among the nation’s top 20 tea exporters. Increasingly however, what distinguishes Malwatte Valley is not only the quality of it products, but also its entirely modernized approach to plantation agriculture.
That rethinking has been driven, in part, by climate change. Rainfall in the company’s low-country areas around Avissawella has climbed to between 7,000 and 10,000 millimetres annually. This, along with the spread of Pesta [Pestalotiopsis Leaf Fall Disease ((PLFD)] rendered traditional rubber cultivation unviable in the region.
Responding to this emerging crisis early, Malwatte moved decisively; diversifying into cinnamon across 400 hectares, establishing 300 hectares of new tea with a supporting factory under construction, and introducing tropical fruits including rambutan and durian.
The transition was not without difficulty given that an earlier attempt to pivot to oil palm ended when a regulatory reversal, which forced the company to abandon nursery stock, and work already undertaken worth approximately Rs. 100 million. However, the company absorbed the setback, regrouped and moved forward with a clearer sense of what the land could support.
Engineering a new kind of plantation through mechanisation
Nowhere is Malwatte’s innovation agenda more visible than in the development of its mechanised cinnamon peeling technology. Cinnamon processing is among the most labour-intensive operations in Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector, with skilled peelers commanding a premium that can account for upto 50% of the product’s final value.
Facing a shortage of experienced peelers at scale, Malwatte took an unconventional approach by tasking engineers from its own renewable energy division; a team recruited out of Moratuwa University that primarily works on solar installations, with developing a mechanical solution.
The result, after extensive experimentation, is a patent-pending machine capable of performing the most complex stage of cinnamon peeling. It enables workers without prior training to achieve output comparable to seasoned peelers; a development that significantly improves productivity and reduces the company’s dependence on a dwindling skilled workforce.
In a country that cannot import labour, the ability to build that kind of solution from within speaks to a culture of problem-solving that goes well beyond the plantation industry’s traditional boundaries.
Cultivating at a different scale
The same spirit of innovation runs through Malwatte’s approach to cultivation. In tea, where Sri Lanka’s established planting densities range from roughly 8,000 to 13,500 VP plants per hectare, Malwatte is now planting at 40,000 VP plants per hectare in selected low-country estates, adapting international best practice to local conditions and already seeing bushes reach harvestable maturity considerably earlier than conventional systems allow.
In avocado, the company has pushed well beyond the industry norm of around 200 trees per hectare, planting at approximately 800 and exploring densities above 1,000. Vineyard-style trellising systems are being trialed to simplify canopy management and harvesting. Malwatte is among the first plantation operators in Sri Lanka to pursue commercial avocado cultivation at this scale, opening a category with strong value-addition potential.
Mechanised tea plucking is also another initiative that is current under development. While technical challenges remain, including drone cameras struggling to identify harvest-ready leaves due to rotor wash interference, the company continues to refine its mechanical plucking solutions as part of a broader commitment to reducing manual dependency across its operations.
Senior business leaders, economists and international development experts, alongside the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, will headline the Sri Lanka Economic & Investment Summit 2026, organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on 12 and 13 October at the Shangri-La Colombo.
The Summit will open with a keynote address by T. Krishnakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, who brings more than four decades of experience in the consumer brands and FMCG sectors. Having previously served as President of Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, with extensive experience in building businesses and driving growth across emerging markets, Krishnakumar, more popularly known as Kk, now leads Reliance Consumer Products as it expands across categories and builds new customer, partnership and market opportunities.
Day 2 will bring together four international perspectives across discussions on economic resilience, regional connectivity, sector growth and digital transformation.
Lilia Aleksanyan, Senior Country Economist for Sri Lanka at the Asian Development Bank, will open the day’s discussions with a focus on Sri Lanka’s economic resilience. Her work covers the country’s macroeconomic outlook, policy advice and macro-fiscal and financial-sector reform. Her international policy experience also includes roles at the French Ministry of Finance and the French Central Bank.
The Summit will then turn to Sri Lanka’s connections with regional markets, with P. D. Singh, Chief Executive Officer, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, delivering the keynote for the session on trade corridors and value chains. Singh counts close to three decades of experience in banking and finance, with senior leadership roles spanning Standard Chartered, JPMorgan Chase Bank and HSBC.
The Sector Deep Dives will bring international perspectives to discussions on healthcare and energy.
Tushar Shroff, Chief Financial Officer, Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, will deliver the keynote for the healthcare discussion, drawing on more than three decades of experience in corporate finance, strategic investment and financial transformation. His career spans senior finance and leadership roles with ABB, Piramal Healthcare, Intas Pharmaceuticals and Vedanta Group, giving him a broad perspective on the business and investment decisions shaping the healthcare sector.
For the energy-focused deep dive, Edore Onomakpome, Regional Infrastructure Industry Manager for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal at the International Finance Corporation, will bring extensive experience in infrastructure investment and project finance across emerging markets. Since joining IFC in 2013, she has held senior roles across Africa and South Asia, including managing IFC’s infrastructure portfolio across 16 countries.
The Summit will conclude its keynote programme with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, who will deliver the keynote for “Nation Building in the Digital Age.” The Prime Minister also oversees the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, bringing a direct policy perspective to discussions on digital transformation, innovation, education and the skills needed for a changing economy.
Together, these perspectives will bring regional, international and policy insight to SLEIS 2026 as Sri Lanka considers how to strengthen economic resilience, attract investment, deepen regional connections and develop new sources of growth.
Held under the theme “Positioning Sri Lanka in a Changing Global Economy: Resilience, Reform, and the Future of Economic Policy,” SLEIS 2026 will take place on 12 and 13 October 2026 at the Shangri-La Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Economic & Investment Summit 2026 is supported by its valued sponsors and partners. Platinum Sponsor – Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka, Gold Sponsor – VISA Worldwide (Pvt) Ltd., Bronze Sponsor – South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt) Ltd., Strategic Development Partner – Asian Development Bank, Telecommunication Partner – Dialog Telecommunication, Television Partner – Dialog Television, Session Sponsors – David Pieris Motor Company (Pvt) Ltd., Hemas Holdings PLC, Sunshine Holdings PLC, International Construction Consortium (Pvt) Ltd., Microsoft Sri Lanka (Pvt) Limited, Official Logistics Partner – Hayleys Advantis Limited, Official Airline – SriLankan Airlines Ltd., Official Hospitality Partner – Shangri-La Colombo, Airline Partner – China Eastern Air Holding Co. Ltd.
Registrations for SLEIS 2026 are now closed. The Ceylon Chamber looks forward to welcoming participants to the discussions on Sri Lanka’s future trajectory on 12 and 13 October.
Commercial Bank of Ceylon has launched ‘Prestige’, a three-tier banking proposition aimed at high-net-worth (HNW) clients, combining wealth management, advisory services and lifestyle benefits.
The initiative replaces the bank’s existing ‘Elite’ private banking brand with Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond tiers, designed to cater to customers according to their wealth profiles and banking relationships.
The bank said Prestige would provide dedicated relationship managers, priority branch services, preferential rates on loans and deposits, enhanced card privileges, family banking programmes and offshore account solutions.
Its wealth and investment management services include access to capital-protected income solutions, dual-currency investments, institutional deals and estate and portfolio governance.
Clients will also have access to specialist financial and corporate advisory services, including assistance with international relocation, overseas property and capital repatriation.
The programme includes lifestyle benefits such as VIP airport lounge access, travel concierge services, property management and medical coordination, as well as access to selected art and culinary events.
The bank said its flagship Prestige banking residence at R.G. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 07, had been refurbished, with the service to be extended to other economically important cities.
Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge said Prestige was intended to support customers in managing their wealth, business interests, family needs and long-term legacy.
Existing Elite clients are being transitioned to the new programme, the bank said.
Ceylinco Life has rewarded 80 members of its sales force with overseas tours to Vietnam and China for their outstanding performance in the company’s 2025 sales competitions.
The group comprised 62 sales achievers who travelled to Vietnam and 18 who visited China.
The Vietnam tour included visits to Hanoi’s Ho Chi Minh Complex, One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Hoan Kiem Lake. The group also travelled to Ha Long Bay, where they went on an Aurora Cruise and explored attractions including Sung Sot Cave, Luun Cave and Titop Island.
The tour also featured a sunset party aboard the cruise, with music and refreshments.
The 18 achievers who travelled to China visited several of Beijing’s major historical and cultural attractions, including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. They also took a boat ride on Kunming Lake.
A highlight of the China tour was a visit to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, including a round-trip cable car ride. The group also attended an acrobatic show at Chaoyang Theatre and visited the Panda Garden at Beijing Zoo.
The company said the tours were organised to recognise and reward sales personnel for their performance and achievements.
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