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Great potential for expansion of rubber cultivation
There is a great potential for the expansion of rubber plantations in the country as the local production of the raw material is around 60 percent of the country’s requirement at present, Company Estate Reforms, Tea Estate Related Crops, Tea Factory Modernization and Tea Export Promotion State Minister Kanaka Herath has said.
The Minister made the observation during a field visit to monitor the progress of the Rubber Cultivation Expansion Programme being implemented in the Moneragala District.
With the mega scale investments in the rubber production sector including tyre manufacturing, the demand for local latex would increase day by day. It was proposed to commence operations in another large tyre manufacturing plant at the Hambantota industrial zone in the near future similar to the largest ever tyre manufacturing facility in South Asia, which commenced operations in Horana recently. Moreover there would be several other large scale private sector investments in the rubber sector in the country, the Sate Minister added.
He said that once operations commenced in those proposed factories there would be a huge scarcity in latex since only 60 per cent of local requirement of latex was produced in the country at present. This situation will result in increasing the price of rubber and latex.
State Minister Herath said that with the emergence of those new industries, the demand for local latex production would be increasing rapidly and there was a great potential for the expansion of rubber cultivation and the rubber grower would be able to obtain very high prices.
Accordingly, the extent of rubber cultivation should be increased and the expansion of rubber cultivation in non-traditional areas has already commenced. Non-availability of lands is the major obstacles for expanding of rubber cultivation in the Kegalle, Kalutara and Ratnapura districts, which are the main rubber cultivation districts in the country. Due to this reason, rubber plantations are being expanded beyond the traditional rubber plantations of rubber triangular.
He further pointed out that there was a great potential to expand rubber cultivation in the Monaragala District and the surrounding areas due to climatic and soil factors as well as a large number of cultivable lands in the District.
A number of measures had also been taken to encourage rubber growers and, accordingly, the subsidy per acre for new rubber plantations had been increased from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 750,000. Besides, Rs. 250,000 per acre would be offered for drip-irrigation.
Another Rs. 250,000 each would be provided to a grower for the construction of irrigation wells or tube wells to overcome the scarcity of water. In addition, various assistance, including cultivation advice, fertilizer subsidy and technical assistance were provided to rubber growers by the Ministry. the State Minister said.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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.
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