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FSP decries questionable Kantale sugar factory deal

Published

4 years ago

2022/02/15

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and the Professionals’ National Front (PNF) yesterday condemned the proposal to hand over the Kantale Sugar Factory and 21,000 hectares of land that belongs to it to a Singapore-based company.

FSP Education Secretary, Pubudu Jayagoda said that the land would be leased for 30 years and that it was likely that the Cabinet would approve a questionable proposal submitted by Minister of Finance, Basil Rajapaksa, on 07 February 2022.

Jayagoda said that the factory had been established in 1960 with Czechoslovakian aid.

“At that time, Czechoslovakia was a socialist country. The factory was privatised in 1993, but even then, it was closed in 1999, it was producing 16,000 tons of sugar and 3.9 mil litres of alcohol.”

In 2015, the Yahapalanaya government tried to establish a company, MG Sugars Lanka Pvt. Ltd, with a Singapore-based company, SLI Developments Pte. Ltd, as a partner. The state was to hold 51% of the shares of the company.

A shareholders’ agreement was signed between MG Sugars, the Government of Sri Lanka and SLI Developments in 2016. SLI is connected to UK-based investors Mendel Gluck, Robert Salem and Moussa Salem.

“According to this agreement, the factory and nearby land were to be given to the company. Of the 21,000 hectares that belong to the factory, sugar cane was to be grown in 14,000 hectares and 7,000 were to be given to farmers. The water for the farming was to be taken from Kalu ganga, a tributary of the Mahaweli River,” Jayagoda said.

Gluck and the Salem brothers used K.P. Nagaraja, an Indian national to establish the business. There was a dispute between the investors and Nagaraja, and that resulted in a court case.

“In August 2019, August a Singaporean arbitration court said that there was a need to change the agreement. Subsequently, in July 2020, the Director Board was changed and a new agreement presented. On 09 August 2021, the Cabinet approved the new 30-year lease agreement. Earlier, on 05 August a MoU had been signed. However, this was different from the earlier agreement,” he said.

While under the previous agreement, the factory and nearby land was to be under the new company, the 2021 agreement had proposed to hand over the entire land to the company. Instead of taking water from Kalu Ganga, the water was to be taken from the Kantale tank.

“Although the government was to own 51% of the shares, Moussa Salem was to be the Chairman of MG Sugars. Gluck was to be the CEO. Thus, SLI would run all the operations. This will also mean that farmers in the area will face water shortages because Kantale Tank is an important source of water,” the FSP Education Secretary said.

The project to revive the Kanthale Factory is expected to cost USD 300 million, but SLI will only invest USD 70 million. However, according to the agreement 85% of the profits in the first 10 years will go to SLI. 75% of the profits in the second 10 years will go to SLI.

“The government will get 51% of the profits only in the third decade. Sri Lanka will make most of the investments but will make a pittance. This is a serious issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, Eng. Kapila Renuka Perera of the PNF said that this agreement would only lead to a monopoly, which will be disastrous for Sri Lankans. He added that given that all lands will be given to MG Sugars, Sri Lankan farmers will not be benefitted.

“The agreement also allows the company to import unpurified sugar, purify it here and re-export. This will be done with virtually no oversight. Previous governments too have come into agreements that lead to monopolies, like wheat, and these only had negative impacts on us. This will also have similar results. A few people will benefit at the country’s expense,” he said.

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PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand

Published

16 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

The Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has a history of over six decades and had remained without a proper maintenance for many years, has now been renovated under the current government’s development programme and vested to the public. Following that, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection tour of the newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand.

Originally constructed in 1964, the bus stand was refurbished with modern facilities to meet current needs and was officially reopened to the public on April 8. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide passengers with a higher-quality and more comfortable transportation service.

During the renovation process, special attention has been given to the comfort and safety of women, which was commended by the Prime Minister. In particular, a modern rest area designed to ensure privacy for nursing mothers travelling from distant areas received special praise.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the newly introduced passenger seat reservation system and information services established to assist commuters. In addition, the modern surveillance unit and other security measures installed within the premises to ensure passenger safety were also inspected.

During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in conversations with passengers at the bus stand and inquired about their views on the newly renovated facilities and the quality of transport services.

It was emphasized that the government’s objective is to transform public transportation into a safe, technologically advanced service that can be used with convenience by all citizens.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)

Published

17 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon.

News

Opposition tells Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

No-faith motion to be taken up today

Former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (9) said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should remove Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody unless the minister stepped down on his own.Prof. Peiris, addressing a press conference called by the Opposition, said that Jayakody couldn’t under any circumstance continue to serve as a minister after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) moved the Colombo High Court against the government member over a previous financial scandal.

Pointing out that Minister Jayakody had been indicted of a corrupt deal struck during the yahapalana regime, Prof. Peiris said it was wrong for the NPP to retain him as a minister, claiming that the offence was not committed during his tenure as a Cabinet minister in the current government.

Prof. Peiris and several other Opposition members dealt with the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Jayakody that would be taken up today (10) with the academic calling the vote an acid test for the NPP. Having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at presidential and parliamentary polls, the NPP couldn’t protect Jayakody though he was widely believed to be close to President Dissanayake.

As the Manager of the Procurement and Import Division of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, Jayakody is alleged to have committed the offence of corruption, according to CIABOC.

Jayakody has been accused of causing a loss of Rs. 8,859,708 to the State by influencing and exploiting the procurement process.

Following the serving of indictments on 27 March, the judge ordered Jayakody’s release on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each. The court directed that the defendant’s fingerprints be obtained and a formal report be submitted. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on 6 May.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the CIABOC action against Jayakody is central to the NCM primarily moved over the irregularities ridden coal procurement process launched in 2025 that caused severe disruption to the power generation. Responding to The Island query after the media briefing, Prof Peiris expressed surprise that the JVP/NPP accommodated a person under investigation by the CIABOC. Having taken an utterly irresponsible decision, the JVP/NPP were now playing down the developing issue, prof. Peiris said.

The entire government parliamentary group faced the prospect of having its image tarnished by defending Jayakody, the former lawmaker said.

Prof. Peiris said that they intended to build a campaign around the issues involving the energy minister to expose the government. With yet another electricity tariff hike in the offing due to the growing demand for thermal generation as a result of coal-fired Lakvijaya power plant’s failure to meet the requirement[RA1] , the energy minister and ministry’s performances have to be examined, Prof. Peiris said.The timely release of the Auditor General’s report on controversial coal procurement should compel the government to decide on the energy minister’s fate or be prepared to face the fallout.

By Shamindra Ferdinando