Sri Lanka President orders land, project support for returning migrant workers
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to prepare a programme to provide underutilised land and project support services to Sri Lankan migrant workers returning after completing their overseas employment.
The instruction was issued during a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo yesterday afternoon (July 24) to review projects carried out under the 2026 budget allocations for the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure and consider the Ministry’s proposals for the 2027 Budget.
The meeting reviewed development projects being implemented by the plantation and community infrastructure sectors, as well as institutions and state plantation companies operating under the Ministry.
Officials also discussed priorities, funding requirements and proposed initiatives for 2027.
The progress of several plantation sector programmes being carried out under capital allocations of Rs. 1,081 million was reviewed. These included the estate land surveying programme, coconut disease management, the Kapruka Fund, programmes to increase coconut production and the Northern Coconut Triangle Programme.
President Dissanayake also examined ongoing infrastructure development programmes in the plantation sector.
He stressed that the project to construct 10,000 houses for the Malayagam community should be completed within the stipulated timeframe and that the houses should be handed over to beneficiaries without delay.
The President said weaknesses in the implementation of projects financed through foreign grants and loans had resulted in some allocated funds remaining unused or being returned.
The progress of a relief programme to support the replanting of tea, coconut, rubber and other plantation crops damaged by the Ditwah disaster situation was also reviewed.
Officials said the tea, coconut, rubber, cashew and palmyrah sectors, along with plantation infrastructure development activities, had recorded growth and improved profitability this year compared to the previous year.
Six state plantation companies were reported to have made significant progress in improving profitability. They are Elkaduwa Plantations Limited, Kurunegala Plantations Limited, Chilaw Plantations Limited, the Sri Lanka State Plantation Corporation, the Janatha Estates Development Board and Kalubowitiyana Tea Factory Limited.
Special attention was given to crop production and crop improvement programmes implemented by the Tea Research Institute, along with research and development activities and programmes to support the replanting of smallholder tea plantations.
It was revealed that around 60,000 hectares of Sri Lanka’s tea cultivation consists of smallholder plantations.
Of the Rs. 450.06 million allocated in the 2026 Budget for replanting smallholder tea plantations, Rs. 155.07 million has already been used.
The President also reviewed the 500 Tea Villages Programme implemented by the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority.
He instructed officials to speed up the programme by integrating it with other rural development initiatives, including the “Prajashakthi” programme, at the grassroots level.
The meeting also discussed plans to revive rubber cultivation. These included the Rs. 137 million allocated to the Rubber Research Institute in the 2026 Budget, the progress of rubber replanting programmes and the challenges faced during their implementation.
Officials reviewed programmes and research activities aimed at developing the coconut industry, improving the productivity of coconut plantations, promoting new products, increasing value addition and improving product quality.
The progress of programmes implemented by the Palmyrah Development Board and the Kithul Development Board to strengthen the palmyrah and kithul industries was also examined.
It was revealed that Sri Lanka is expected to produce 18,000 metric tonnes of its annual cashew requirement of 25,000 metric tonnes this year. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous year.
The possibility of expanding cashew cultivation across approximately 15,000 hectares in the Northern and Eastern Provinces was also discussed.
The meeting reviewed efforts to consolidate institutions in the plantation sector and implement Cabinet decisions relating to non-commercial state-owned institutions.
Officials also discussed the need to update agreements entered into by previous governments when allocating land to companies.
President Dissanayake stressed the need for stronger agreements covering the allocation of state-owned land and instructed that a committee be appointed through the Ministry of Finance to examine and address the issue.
The President also instructed officials to consult relevant higher education institutions and explore the possibility of offering courses conducted by the National Institute of Plantation Management through universities.
Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando and Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Sundaralingam Pradeep attended the discussion.
Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Senior Additional Secretaries to the President Russell Aponso and Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma and Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Gunadasa Samarasinghe were also present.
Chairpersons, Directors General and senior officials from institutions operating under the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure also participated.
