Business
Hatton Plantations looks to gain on its robust capital structure
Looking for opportunities to invest in tourism and solar power verticals
Says ‘would be happy to talk to right partners’
By Sanath Nanayakkare
Getting a more realistic control over historical truth and the current significance of a company will probably be the prime concern of a potential investor looking for a strategic tie-up with a particular company, before he or she decides to invest in it.
In that context, Hatton Plantations may not have a ‘story’ to tell, but rather a ‘credible report’ to present because many investors might be cynical about listening to stories.
Hatton Plantations PLC is a subsidiary of G&G Group of Companies, a Singapore-based conglomerate whose chairman is Gary Seaton from Australia who first visited Sri Lanka in the 1970s as a backpacker tourist. Then he and his family started looking at business opportunities in Sri Lanka in the 1980s and bought the first tea company in 1996 after the plantations privatization programme came into effect in Sri Lanka. That was the well-known Pussellawa Plantations spanning across 10,000 hectares.
Then they sold it in 2017 and bought Hatton Plantations (HPL PLC) in 2019 which has 7,500 hectares on 13 estates.
Today HPL PLC has 12 tea processing factories with a combined green leaf capacity of 155,500 kg per day. It uses Orthodox, CTC, Leafy, and Green Tea manufacturing methods supported by versatile production facilities. It engages in the production of high and medium-grown teas in the key regions of Watawala, Hatton, and Lindula.
Hatton Plantations PLC, was the highest producer amongst all the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs), having sold a quantity of 6,484,037.50 kgs with an average of Rs.1,134.11 for the year 2024, preceded by equal performances in the three previous years. And HP PLC is one company that has been replanting for the past four years continuously – a key factor that has contributed to its continuous growth.
Speaking to the media at the Company’s office in Peliyagoda recently, Gary Seaton said. “We have a vision to further expand into plantation, and we also look at two other business verticals: renewable energy and tourism. We very much believe in transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables. Sri Lanka is one of those few remaining countries that hasn’t industrialized everything and that’s very much aligned with the vision of Hatton Plantations PLC. We understand the challenges Sri Lanka faced in the last 40 years. But despite those challenges, we are with Sri Lankans. Many Sri Lankans are leaving Sri Lanka to go abroad, but we are coming from abroad to operate from Sri Lanka. We are doing it the other way around,” he said on a lighter note.
Menaka Athukorala, CEO & MD Hatton Plantations PLC said,” As part of the diversification, we are going into coffee in a major way. We initiated this project three years ago and we have already planted coffee on 100 hectares, and we are already harvesting coffee. A total of 500 hectares of coffee will be planted in the next 3 to 4 years. Our total investment in coffee would be Rs. 1 billion and we have already invested Rs. 200 million. With this, our per hectare income grows with the optimum use of the land while getting the best productivity from our workforce in a mutually beneficial way.” he said.
Gowri Shankar, CEO G&G Group of Companies, Singapore noted,” There’s a shortage of coffee in India, so it will be a potential market for our unique Sri Lankan coffee brand apart from the U.S., and Australia markets. South India loves coffee over tea and North India’s preferred beverage is tea. So, our coffee has a great opportunity to enter the South Indian market. Hence, we are looking at these three key markets for exporting our coffee.”
“Some other companies also have started growing coffee, but we are the largest producer of coffee at present. We will be setting up our coffee processing unit in the next two years which will cost about Rs. 200- 300 million. By 2026, HPL PLC’s coffee will come to the local market and exports will commence in 4 years down the line”, Menaka Athukorala said.
Touching on their tea plantations, HPL PLC said that they have started deploying mechanization, precision agriculture and tech solutions to make their operations more efficient.
HPL has already started using drone technology to apply Foliar Spray on some of their estates to deliver essential nutrients directly to the tea leaves.
“Drones are being used in pilot projects to streamline the operational process, to increase the productivity in the fields and to make the monitoring more efficient and automative,” they said.
“We are upgrading the facilities being provided to our field workforce with convenient access to toilets and bathing places. We have a workforce of 4,000 on permanent basis and an equal number on a casual basis. The issue of labour wages has not caused us much of a problem because we have so many welfare activities that ensure our workers’ well-being.”
“We are going to set up a vocational training institute on our estate in Hatton to train the children of our workers in various crafts. With the new-found skills, they can choose to work with us or go and be employed or self-employed elsewhere. We believe such socially responsible activities will foster stronger bonds between the company and the employees. That bond will take care of the whole ecosystem of Hatton Plantations for many years to come,” they said.
“For diversification in tourism, we are looking at strategic partnerships whose mainstream business is tourism. We don’t want to get into their line of business. As the infrastructure is already there with HPL’s holiday bungalows and picturesque tea estates, we will see who understands its value and bring their expertise of tourism to our assets. We will see how we can leverage those assets together with them and grow the business,” Gowri Shankar said.
Hatton Plantation PLC’s profit before tax was Rs. 1.2 billion in 2024. This year it will be slightly less because of the wage increase, and it is expected to be close to one billion rupees in FY 2024/25. And in FY 2025/26, the company expects a PBT of Rs. 1.3 billion when tech modernizations are successfully implemented.
“We have liquid cash assets that we would like to channel into these verticals. In the meantime, we are looking at the possibility of investing in tea plantation in Kenya as there is an opportunity to produce orthodox leafy teas in that country – where your yields are higher and profit margins are much greater,” they said.
The media was told that HPL was keen on investing in viable solar power projects anywhere in Sri Lanka that generates more than 5 megawatts of power.
Currently, HPL has eight hydro-power plants generating 12 megawatts. Lotus Hydro Power of the Group is the highest dividend-yielding company in the domain with around 14% yield rate, consistently maintaining it from 2014, except for the crisis-years in Sri Lanka.
“Hatton Plantations is willing to allocate Rs. 1 billion to invest in a viable solar project and we’d be happy to talk to the right partners”, “Gary Seaton said.
As parched soil cracks underfoot and once-thriving fields lie fallow, the farmers of Mannar are living on the frontlines of a crisis that is no longer just environmental — it’s economic. Climate change has tightened its grip on this northern region, and with each failed monsoon and dwindling harvest, the livelihoods of entire communities are evaporating.
The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), along with local stakeholders, has raised urgent concerns over the increasingly hostile conditions faced by farmers in the region. At the heart of the problem are erratic weather patterns — prolonged droughts, unpredictable rainfall, and extreme heat — all of which disrupt the delicate balance required for traditional farming practices.
“The erratic weather patterns triggered by climate change are not only drying up water sources but also pushing already vulnerable farming communities deeper into poverty, Dilena Pathragoda, Executive Director, CEJ told The Island Financial Review.
He added: “The economic consequences are severe — from crop failures to loss of livelihoods — and without timely interventions and climate-resilient strategies, the long-term sustainability of agriculture in regions like Mannar is in jeopardy.”
In 2024 alone, nearly 3,000 acres of paddy land in Mannar District were left uncultivated due to lack of water, according to data from local agrarian offices.
In other words, this represents an estimated loss of over Rs. 225 million in potential harvest income, based on average yields and market prices. Farmers who once cultivated rice, onions and vegetables with predictable seasonal success now face devastating uncertainty.
The failure of rain-fed tanks (reservoirs) and the drying up of canals have made irrigation nearly impossible in some areas. In Nanattan and Musali divisions, water availability dropped by some 60 per cent compared to historical averages. As water becomes scarcer, so do incomes, leading many families to take on debt or abandon agriculture altogether in search of daily-wage labour.
This agricultural downturn is having ripple effects throughout the local economy. In Mannar, where over 60% of households depend directly or indirectly on farming, the collapse of agricultural productivity has led to rising food prices, shrinking local markets, and reduced cash flow for small businesses. Fertilizer vendors, seed suppliers and even transport workers are reporting significant losses.
“Some farmers have seen their seasonal incomes drop from Rs. 200,000 to under Rs. 50,000, noted one local agriculture officer. “Many are defaulting on informal loans and are now relying on relief aid to survive.”
Economists warn that this trend, if unchecked, could contribute to broader socio-economic instability. Rural depopulation, youth migration, and heightened inequality are already being observed in vulnerable districts. Women, in particular, face added burdens as household food security becomes more precarious and access to clean water requires greater physical labor.
Despite these challenges, experts insist that solutions are within reach. Climate-resilient farming techniques — such as drip irrigation, drought-tolerant crops, and community-managed water systems — have shown promise in pilot projects across other dry zones. However, scaling these up requires political will, coordinated planning, and substantial investment.
Environmental advocates also call for a shift in national agricultural policy. “Rather than pouring money into outdated infrastructure or monoculture subsidies, Sri Lanka must pivot towards sustainable, adaptive farming models, said Pathragoda. “This includes better support for farmers’ education, access to technology, and integrated land and water management.”
Civil society groups, including CEJ, are urging both the government and international donors to treat the Mannar crisis as a wake-up call. Climate finance mechanisms, they argue, must be made accessible to grassroots communities, not just large-scale development firms. Moreover, climate justice must take center stage — recognizing that those suffering most have contributed least to the global emissions causing these disruptions.
As Sri Lanka navigates an uncertain economic recovery, ensuring food security and rural resilience is more than an environmental imperative — it’s a matter of national stability, Pathragoda stressed.
By Ifham Nizam
The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) entered into a strategic partnership to support Sri Lankan exporters by enhancing their access to capital market opportunities and broadening visibility for their businesses.
The partnership agreement was signed by Shiham Marikar, Secretary General / CEO, The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka, and Ms. Vindhya Jayasekera, Chief Executive Officer Designate, CSE. The signing ceremony was attended by Ms. Dilini Gamlathge, Assistant Director, Member Services/Operations, The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka; Ms. Punyamali Saparamadu, SVP Commercial, CSE; Ms. Himashi Wickramasinghe, Manager, Commercial, CSE; Ms. Shivandini Liyanage, SVP, Legal, Enforcement and Compliance, CSE; and Kanishka Gunawardana, Manager, Enforcement and Compliance, CSE.
This partnership with the CSE will provide NCE members—both experienced exporters and aspiring ones—with access to vital capital market knowledge and services to support their business expansion efforts.
This collaboration aims to offer exporters tools and resources to strengthen their market presence and growth potential. It also creates a platform for SMEs within the export sector to consider listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange, particularly through the Empower Board—dedicated to facilitating capital raising for small and medium-sized businesses.
Through this partnership, CSE will also gain direct access to a network of established exporters, enhancing the reach of capital market education, awareness-building, and strategic financing solutions among key players in Sri Lanka’s export economy.
The collaboration will further enable opportunities for joint forums, knowledge-sharing sessions, and networking events, providing exporters with guidance on alternative avenues for capital generation and highlighting the benefits of corporate good governance and transparency through listing.
This partnership adds credibility to the CSE and NCE’s shared efforts and signals trustworthiness to potential stakeholders, offering significant advantages for fostering growth, strategic opportunities, and long-term development within Sri Lanka’s export sector.
Sri Lanka should not have any restrictions for tourist arrivals and a visa-free regime is the need of the hour to woo more visitors, said travel and aviation expert Nihal C.B. Perera.
The founder of a family-owned company in Sri Lanka, Sparklink Travels, Perera said that Sri Lanka should offer the same ‘Visa Free facility’ initiated by Singapore and now successfully implemented by Thailand.
A former Ceylon Tourist Board, Development and Publicity Director, he said that during his time, they leased or gave several unused state land areas to build hotels. “But we told the investors that the construction has to start in six months, and this happened.”
One such venture was the opening of the Pegasus Reef Hotel at Wattala.
Perera also initiated the creation of special tourism zones in Bentota, Hikkaduwa and several other areas.
After a nearly 15-year stint at the Tourist Board, he formed his own travel company, Sparklink Travels, in 1979 with just 4 employees. “With the rapid expansion of business, and being recognized as an IATA-accredited travel agency, we increased our employee strength and moved into our own four-storey building in Bambalapitiya. We also opened a branch in Australia, he said.
“After the COVID pandemic, we also negotiated with airlines and refunded all passenger tickets purchased and cancelled due to COVID-19, Perera explained.
He recalled the days when people were issued small booklet-type air tickets and how his staff had to visit the airline offices to collect them. Perera added: “The online has changed these and I think this is a time-saving move.
“Unlike two decades ago, online and payment gateways have enabled people to book their own air tickets from home and we too have changed our strategies to find new businesses.”
Today, Sparklink Travels continues with his son Praki Perera, heading the company’s operations in Sri Lanka and Australia.
Their dedication ensures that the company remains a premier provider of air travel, cruises and tours, with professional services tailored to enhance the true essence of travel.
Perera, who has been a pioneering force in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, was also honored as a ‘Tourism Legend’ at the annual industry awards.
By Hiran H. Senewiratne
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