Aug 22, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will set up a 150-acre industrial park in Millaniya, Kalutara at a cost of 3.5 billion rupees with a company from Thailand, the State Minister of International Trade Sujeewa Senasinghe said.
“The process to acquire the land for the project is still ongoing as are talks with the Ceylon Electricity Board, Water Board and the Road Developed Authority,” Senasinghe said.
“We are to get all the approvals and build the infrastructure in one year.”
The Park to be built on a rubber estate belonging to the Horana Plantations would be completed by end 2018 and operated by Rojana Industrial Park Public Limited of Thailand, a joint venture between Japan’s Nippon Steel and Thailand’s Vinichbutr Group.
A letter of intent to set up an Industrial Park was signed at the the Board of Investment, yesterday.
“To bring in investors we need parks of this nature. The existing parks are almost full,” the State Minister said.
“Under phase one we expect an investment in the excess of US 500 million dollars.”
An exit at Palpola in the Southern Highway between Bandaragama (Galanigama ) and Kalutara (Dodangoda) has also been proposed to provide easier access to the zone.
Chai Vinichbutr, vice president of Rojana Industrial Park said that the investment climate in Sri Lanka was good and this was the reason they decided to set up here.
Vinichbutr operates about 500 companies in their industrial zones in Thailand and said they aim to draw investors making electronic home appliances like television sets initially and later get auto parts manufacturing.