Business
Dilmah Conservation’s Bee A Keeper Project Continues Strong in its Third Year
Bee Conservation and Conversations
Useful for sustainable agriculture and upholding ecosystem services, bees bear important links to biodiversity and human well being. Among them, companies have a key role to play. Widespread use of pesticides and fertilizer, habitat destruction, and climate change threaten the future of bees and other pollinators and insects.
Therefore, pollinator-friendly actions from government policy down to individual action is important. For the first time among businesses, Dilmah Tea’s Bee A Keeper Project, initiated in 2020, aims to conserve Sri Lankan honeybee population through research, education, community involvement and economic upliftment while researching innovating tools such as payment for ecosystems in corporate environmental projects, Dilmah Conservation that has launched a bee keeping project said in a news release.
“Aiming to increase the biodiversity in the tea gardens and bolster biodiversity research, Bee A Keeper Program falls under the conservation and sustainability arm of Dilmah Tea that has several centres in Sri Lanka committed to creating a better tea for people and planet.
“Bee A Keeper, having several trajectories such as bee research and community beekeeping are each carried out at a designated centre. At the Climate Change Centre in Nawalapitiya, dedicated for climate research, the focus is on bee research. Endana Centre whose flagship project is building a nature corridor, adopts community sustainable beekeeping to involve the community in conserving their home gardens and the neighbouring forest.
“The cumulative ecological wealth of the Endana Nature Corridor is at USD 382,362. Both Endana and the Nawalapitiya centres conduct beekeeping training workshops,” the release said.
It explained that at least 30% of global crops depend on bees for pollination. Without them our favourite food would be lost to us. Due to widespread use of pesticides and fertilizer, habitat destruction, and climate change the future of bees and other pollinators and insects is threatened.
Education and awareness are important for the success of conserving bees. Dr Anura Indrajith Sirisena Entomologist at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka and chief advisor for the Bee a Keeper project said, “in community beekeeping we are interested in getting the involvement of the farmers. Through this they come to realize the importance of bees and why we need to conserve them. Further they learn sustainable techniques needed to conserve bees”
During the pandemic (2021), Dr Sirisena curated and delivered a webinar series “Friendly Beekeeper” organized by Dilmah Conservation to introduce beekeeping. With over 300 participants registering, the series was a success. The recorded sessions of Friendly Beekeeper are found on the Dilmah Tea YouTube channel.
Among the research focus of the program some of the interest areas have been monitoring bee decline, addressing the lack of taxonomic information on bees, assessing the economic value and impact apiculture, evaluating the status of wild bee populations, and studying the chemistry of honey variants.
In future, the program hopes to increase its volume of training programs for locals in the area and for the hospitality sector that can benefit from apitourism. An extension of ecotourism, apitourism ranges from site tours, tasting experiences to safely engaging in beekeeping. It is one of the aims of the project to make sustainable beekeeping popular in Sri Lankan ecotourism niche thereby indirectly strengthening sustainable beekeeping.
Dilmah was founded on the knowledge of its enduring connection to the land and the surrounding communities in which it operates. Dilmah Conservation is a symbol of Dilmah’s comprehensive commitment to minimizing its impact on the planet, to fostering respect for the environment and ensuring its protection by encouraging a harmonious co-existence of man and nature and the sustainable use of the environment.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Business
IceWarp expands into Sri Lanka, fostering European innovation in collaboration with FentonsIT
IceWarp, a global leader in business communication solutions, has officially launched its cutting-edge platform in Sri Lanka, bringing European expertise in email and collaboration solutions to support the country’s evolving business landscape.
This expansion is driven by a strategic partnership with Fentons Information Technology (FIT), the Information Technology arm of Hayleys Fentons Limited.
The grand launch event held at The Kingsbury Colombo on 4th April, 2025, was graced by several distinguished guests, including Chief Guest Mohan Pandithage, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys PLC.
The presence of Adam Paclt, Global CEO of IceWarp, and Pramod Sharda, CEO for India and the Middle East of IceWarp, along with their global team, highlighted the significance of this expansion. Industry experts, government officials, corporate leaders, and CIOs from the banking, financial services and insurance sectors were in attendance as well, reflecting strong local interest in IceWarp’s European expertise.
With this launch, Sri Lankan businesses now have access to an affordable, scalable and secure alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. IceWarp’s advanced Collaboration Suite integrates a wide range of tools into a single, unified platform designed to streamline communication and boost productivity. Offering flexible hybrid deployment options and cost-efficient solution, IceWarp enables organisations to optimise their operations without compromising security or functionality.
Ceylon Energy and HJT China have successfully completed the Mahiyangana-Kappalthurei 33kV power distribution lines and the Uhana Gantry as part of Sri Lanka’s Supporting Electricity Supply Reliability Improvement Project (SESRIP). Funded by the Asian Development Bank ($42 million), SESRIP aims to expand energy access in underserved regions, including conflict-affected areas and provinces like Uva and North Central.
The project’s infrastructure spans over 270 km of 33kV lines, 13 switching gantries, and 2,372 km of low-voltage extensions.
The projects connect 35,000+ households and improve reliability for 493,000+ consumers; integrates renewables to reduce losses.
The projects’ notable components include: Mahiyangana-Bibila Line: 36 km with 147 steel towers and Kappalthurei-Sixth Mile Post Line: 14 km with 58 towers.
Ceylon Energy Chairman Madushanka Fernando hailed it as a ‘new beginning of a brighter era’, emphasising the project’s role in uplifting rural communities and driving sustainable development.
The initiative underscores Sri Lanka’s commitment to inclusive, reliable energy and climate resilience.
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