Thursday Sep 04, 2025
Thursday Sep 04, 2025
Wednesday, 3 September 2025 00:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A Parliamentary oversight committee has flagged land allocation delays as a major bottleneck for industrial growth, with lawmakers told it can take up to four years to secure land for new projects.
The Parliament Secretariat yesterday said that allocating land for industrial development was a major issue that arose when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations recently reviewed the performance of the Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry and its five institutions.
Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara brought several issues confronting the industrial sector to the notice of the Oversight Committee. She pointed out that it took four years to allocate land to a new industry, with only 0.01% of the country’s land allocated to industries against a globally accepted ideal of 3%.
Ministry officials said that plans were in place to allocate 50,000 acres of suitable land for industries across the island.
The Oversight Committee recommended that a report be submitted, in consultation with the Land Reforms Commission, the Urban Development Authority, and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, on the steps that could be taken and the future plan in this regard.
The current performance of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) was also taken into consideration. Officials stated that this is the only institution in the country responsible for promoting and developing exports, and that 5-year plans have been prepared covering sectors including apparel, tea, rubber, spices, information technology, gems, and jewellery.
EDB officials revealed that successfully managing US taxation policies, the country’s largest export market, has been a significant achievement, and that with an export income of around $ 15 billion in 2023, the target is to increase this to $ 28 billion by 2028.
Attention was also drawn towards the current performance and issues of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. Officials stated that steps will be taken in the future to merge the National Gem and Jewellery Authority with the Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute.
Officials stated that the production activities of the National Salt Company are being carried out with high efficiency. They pointed out that due to changes in climatic conditions, natural salt production has decreased in recent times.
Ministry officials revealed that plans were in place to establish a facility in the Elephant Pass area to artificially produce salt using modern technology instead of the natural process. Officials further stated that the revenue target of the National Salt Company for this year is Rs. 1 billion, which is a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
It was also revealed that although B.C.C. Lanka Limited, a 192-year-old institution, produces high-quality coconut oil, the company has not obtained quality certifications. The current Chairman of the company informed the Committee that many export opportunities have been lost due to this situation, and that immediate steps have now been taken to obtain SLS, ISO, and other quality certifications, the statement from the Presidential Secretariat said.
The Oversight Committee had convened in Parliament under the Chairmanship of MP Attorney at Law Lakmali Hemachandra, with Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetti and Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe participating.
It reviewed and approved the 2023-2024 performance reports of the Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry, the 2022-2023 annual reports of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority, the 2023 annual report of the Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute, the 2021-2023 annual reports of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, the 2021-2023 annual reports of B.C.C. Lanka Ltd., and the 2021-2023 annual reports and accounts of the National Salt.
MPs Attorney at Law Anuradha Jayaratne, Sivagnanam Shritharan, Attorney at Law Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Kanthasamy Prabu, Wijesiri Basnayake, Suranga Rathnayaka, and Thilina Samarakoon participated in the meeting.
