Kantale Sugar Factory to re-open soon

Mohammed NAALIR reporting from Kantale

The Government has taken steps to reopen the Kantale Sugar Factory, 'P.R.A.W. Bandara, General Manager, Sri Lanka Sugar Corporation told the Sunday Observer at the Sugar factory premises in Kantale.

Bandara said that tenders have been called from investors. The Sugar Corporation has received applications from 25 investors who are willing to reopen the Kantale Sugar factory.

The factory will be given to a suitable investor to start production, according to Bandara.

"We intend to resume the renovation work of the Kantale Sugar factory in two months, Bandara added.

The Kantale Sugar factory was declared open on October 2, 1960 by then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The factory boarders the Mahaweli river," Seruwila, Kithul Uthuwa and Minneriya.

The factory was supplying quality sugar to the market for more than three decades from 1960. During the first and second decades since inception, the factory was running profitably. From 1980 to 1986, the factory earned a Rs. 70 million profit. It was considered as the most prosperous period of the Kantale Sugar factory in its history.

The General Manager said privatization had adversely affected the factory. The inefficient management and the issues of the workers led to the eventual closure of the factory. LTTE activities in the area also affected its operations.

The salaries, EPF, ETF and gratuity were also not paid to employees properly by the then administration. The workers staged a strike against the management demanding their rights.

He said that it was intended to get water from Mahaweli river for this factory. Due to various reasons the idea of getting water for plantation activities was given up. Later the Kantale tank facilitated the Kantale Sugar Factory until it was closed. Due to the availability of water in time for plantation activities the sugar factory achieved rapid development in a short period of time and the factory was turned into a profitable institution.

There was only one plantation zone in the earlier period of the factory. After 1970 the plantation area was decentralized. During the development process of the Kantale Sugar Factory and Plantation, the plantation area was divided into four zones namely Zone 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Each zone had eight to 17 fields. Each field comprised 2,000 to 3,000 acres.

During the prosperous period the factory granted various benefits to its employees and labourers. A working Director attached to the factory popularised the concept of planting coconut trees in every field in Zones 1, 2 and 3. Quality mango trees were planted along the approach roads of the factory. There was a bakery in the factory premises to provide bread to factory workers. There were ten small tanks in the factory.

Small tanks were constructed at suitable places to facilitate the sugar cane plantation during the drought period and to improve the living standards of the workers. During the rainy period water was stored in the small tanks. There were enough fish in those tanks for the workers' consumption.