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Boost for kithul cultivation

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Agriculture and Livestock Ministry is to set up a " Kithul Development Authority" to promote the industry and introduce high quality kithul based products to the local and international market.

According to Minister S. B. Dissanayake, a good price is offered for products such as Kithul toddy, treacle and jaggery rather than to coconut or palmyrah based products. Many consumers have no ability to purchase quality products made with kithul treacle at higher prices due to a collapse in the industry.

As a result, the market for "Kithul" has been limited and kithul producers in rural areas have failed to obtain profits, the Minister said.

The Ministry is preparing a national level program to expand kithul plantations and provide necessary financial assistance and instructions for kithul cultivation. The Ministry has already completed basic arrangements in this regard, he said.

The Minister said initiatives will also be taken to grant legal permission to tap Kithul toddy. The Ministry hopes that this situation will increase the small and medium scale Kithul based products.

The Export Agriculture Research and Enterprise Development Unit of the Ministry has already done several experiments on the export of Kithul based products. The outcome of these experiments will create a good export market for rural Kithul based products, the Minister added. 

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