Northern industries to be revived

by L. S. Ananda Wedaarachchi

The government will revive the major industries of the Northern Province such as cement, salt and mineral sands which were not operating during periods rife with LTTE terror, said Industrial Development Ministry Secretary R. V. D. Piyathilaka.

He said preliminary studies in this regard have been completed on Industrial Development Minister Kumara Welgama’s directive.

The major part of Sri Lanka’s salt and cement requirements were met respectively by the Elephant Pass saltern and Kankesanthurei (KKS) plant. The two State ventures were set up immediately after the country’s independence. The Elephant Pass saltern produced high quality salt to a capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes per harvest.

The current domestic production which is mainly confined to the Hambantota, Puttalam and Manthai salterns is not sufficent to meet the country’s needs.

It is vital to resume the Elephant Pass salt production as early as possible so that there would not be any necessity to import salt, Piyathilaka said.

The KKS cement plant which manufactured high quality cement had the highest production capacity in the country, he said.

Limestone and klinker, the main raw materials needed for cement production, are available at the KKS site, he said.

Referring to the Paranthan Chemicals Company and Pulmodai Mineral Sands limited, Piyathilaka said they were functioning even during the terror period. Expansion work of these two organisations has also commenced, he said.

The Cabinet approved a joint venture to manufacture value added mineral sand products with Stork Handelsges MBH of Austria.