Category: Other
Sri Lanka Tea Smallholder Factories expands leaf suppliers
June 06, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Tea Smallholder Factories Ltd, a unit of John Keells Holdings, which produces tea from green leaf bought from independent growers said it had expanded suppliers during the past year. The company runs a network of eight factories. Last year it had increased suppliers by 2,714 to 11,532 direct […]
Sri Lanka cigarette production down 15-pct
June 01, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cigarette production has slumped 15 percent over two decades to 4.27 billion sticks and 21 percent of the male population and 0.8 percent of the female population still smoked, a media report said.The Island newspaper quoted the Pubudu Sumanasekara, the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC), an anti […]
Indian economy grows at slowest rate in a decade
NEW DELHI, May 31, 2013 (AFP) – India’s economy grew by 5.0 percent in 2012/2013, its slowest annual rate in a decade, in another blow to the corruption-hit government ahead of national elections due by next year, data showed Friday.India’s wholesale inflation, its most widely watched measure, cooled last month to a surprise 41-month low […]
‘s Malwatte Valley Plantations ups spice, fruit crop
May 28, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Malwatte Valley Plantations Plc, a tea and rubber growing company said it was expanding commercial spice and fruit cultivation.. Chairman Willem Bogtstra told shareholders in an annual review that the firm is focusing on pepper, cardamoms, rambutan, avocado, mango and mandarin, using currently uncultivated land. “During the review […]
‘s Watawala Plantations in profits with palm oil
May 23, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Watawala Plantations Plc reported profits of 124 million rupees in the March 2013 quarter down 54 percent from a year earlier, as commodity prices eased, with palm oil continuing to perform well.The firm reported earnings of 53 cents per share for the quarter, in accounts filed with the […]
Australia set to cull 10,000 wild horses
SYDNEY, May 22, 2013 (AFP) – A controversial cull of up to 10,000 wild horses in Australia’s harsh Outback reportedly began Wednesday in a bid to control the feral animals which officials say are destroying the land. The Central Land Council said animals — including horses, donkeys and camels — were dying in their thousands […]
Visiting Chinese PM vows to build trust with India
NEW DELHI, May 20, 2013 (AFP) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged Monday to build trust with India and declared that ties between the Asian giants were key to world peace as he visited New Delhi only weeks after a border spat.Speaking alongside his counterpart Manmohan Singh, Li said China wanted to increase cooperation with […]
‘s troubled garment hub
DHAKA, May 20, 2013 (AFP) – Bangladeshi police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of garment workers Monday as they demanded a wage hike at a protest in a manufacturing hub outside the capital Dhaka.Police said they reacted after workers blocked a key highway in the Ashulia industrial area, home to hundreds of […]
S&P warns India could face junk status
NEW DELHI, May 18, 2013 (AFP) – India faces at least “a one-in-three” chance of losing its prized sovereign grade rating, global ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has warned, in another blow to the scandal-tainted Congress government.The agency said it may also cut India’s ratings if it concludes that Asia’s third-largest economy will not revert […]
Sri Lanka sexes up image for tea
KANDANA, Sri Lanka,(AFP) – A hot cup of Ceylon tea is better known as being soothing and relaxing, but Sri Lanka is now marketing its most profitable export as a luxury boost for the libido.The tea industry is increasingly plugging Ceylon’s supposed aphrodisiac qualities in a bid to radically change perceptions of the brew, which […]
Sri Lanka in aquaculture drive with Vietnam
May 15, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is embarking on an aquaculture drive with technical support from Vietnam starting with culturing sea cucumber, seaweed and lobster fattening and also help devise a master plan, officials said.A team from Vietnam’s Research Institute for Aquaculture Number 3 began working with Sri Lanka’s National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) […]
Seven killed in floods, mudslides in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, May 15, 2013 (AFP) – At least seven people have been killed and two are missing in floods and mudslides following heavy rain across Sri Lanka, the disaster management centre said Wednesday.Sri Lanka depends on monsoon rains for irrigation and power generation, but the seasonal downpours frequently cause deaths along with damage to property.A […]