Category: Agriculture
Construction of Sri Lanka’s first Cold Storage complex for perishables inaugurated
Mar 30, 2019 (LBO) – The construction of Sri Lanka’s first Temperature and Humidity Controlled Warehouse Complex for Perishables was initiated today by the Economic Reforms Minister Harsha de Silva and the High Commissioner of India, Tharanjith Singh Sandu at the adjoining land of Dambulla Economic Centre. The proposed Cold Storage complex with a capacity of 5,000 […]
Sri Lanka GDP grows 3.2-pct in 2018
Mar 21, 2019 (LBO) – The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) releasing the estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data said the islands economic growth rate for the year of 20 18 has been estimated as 3.2 percent. The GDP for Sri Lanka for the year of 20 18 (January to December) at constant (2010) price […]
Sri Lanka estate workers daily wage hiked to Rs. 800 from April 01st : Fin Min
Mar 13, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister said estate workers will receive a 800 rupees daily wage from the present 700 rupees from April 01st 2019. ‘They will receive Rs. 50 daily allowance form April 01st for the next 12 months,’ he told reporters in Colombo a short while ago. ‘The wage which […]
Slower but more stable growth path appropriate strategy for North: report
Feb 22, 2019 (LBO) – An economic growth path that is slower but more stable which invests in communities to strengthen the social foundations for development has been proposed as an appropriate strategy for the North by a newly launched report.The report titled “Economic Development Framework for a Northern Province Master Plan” suggests a two-pronged strategy on […]
Sri Lanka Tea export volumes and revenue up in Jan 2019
Feb 21, 2019 9LBO) – Sri Lanka tea export volumes for the month of January 2019 totalled 23.6 M/kgs, showing a gain of 2.7 M/kgs from the same period last year, a new report showed. Tea bags and Packeted tea have shown a growth during the period under review, whilst Bulk tea has shown a […]
Planters’ Association of Ceylon reiterates that Rs. 750 daily wage final
Feb 19, 2019 (LBO) – Planters’ Association of Ceylon reiterates that the new collective agreement between Regional Plantation Companies and estate sector trade unions is already binding. “It does not require any further action from any other stakeholders in order to proceed with the new wage among the RPC sector,” Secretary General of the Planters’ Association, Lalith Obeyesekere said. […]
From Toronto to Toddy, a Jaffna Entrepreneur’s Journey
By Jekhan Aruliah When it comes to investment in the North there is far more talk than there is action. A rare example of action is Suganthan Shanmuganathan. Having fled the Sri Lankan Civil War 25 years ago as a teenage schoolboy, Suganthan came back to Jaffna from Canada in 2014 with his wife and […]
Feature story: Seeds for a brighter future
Feb 01, 2019 (LBO) – Rajnikansan Arushanandi’s son Brideman is in Grade 5 but he knows more about gardening than she does.“He has been learning at school and he comes home and tells us about organic fertilizer preparation, and how nutritional green leaves can be grown,” she says. Another mother, Sobana Muhundan sees her son Sibiraj […]
New website to provide early warning signals for paddy, vegetable producers
Jan 30, 2019 (LBO) – Socio-Economic and Planning Centre of the Department of Agriculture has launched a new website for Sri Lankan farmers, which aims to provide updated information in order to educate them to make productive decisions regarding their crops. This website is a useful information source for farmers, consumers, agricultural producers and food processing institutions […]
Plantation companies agree to increase basic wage of plantation workers to Rs700
Jan 25, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Plantation Companies and trade unions have agreed to increase the daily basic wage of plantation workers to 700 rupees with an additional 50 rupees under the Price Share Supplement (PSS). Further, 100 million rupees will also be allocated to the Plantation Companies out of the funds of Tea […]
” armyworm cannot be practically eradicated: UNFAO
Jan 24, 2019 (LBO) – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says that the Fall Armyworm (FAW) known as ‘Sena’ cannot be practically eradicated once established in a new area and it becomes one more pest that farmers need to learn about and manage.In the absence of natural control or good management, the FAW can […]
Jaffna to New York’s Wall Street and back to Jaffna
By Jekhan Aruliah Back in the day Raj Janan’s father was a successful industrialist in Jaffna, owning at various times an aluminium factory, a knitwear factory, a private hospital and a newspaper. Janan’s childhood was disrupted by the JVP insurrection in 1971 when he was 11 years old.One consequence of which was the family was […]