Master Divers Chief takes to kitul production

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

Chairman, Master Divers (Pvt) Ltd Ariyaseela Wickramanayake will venture into the production of Kitul jaggery slabs at the Pelawatte factory to save foreign exchange on sugar imports.

Wickramanayake told Daily News Business that the Kitul tree is valuable and unique to Asia as it provides treacle to make traditional sweetmeats such as oil cakes but the country has not made use of this valuable resource properly to focus on producing kitul jaggery as a substitute for sugar. He called upon investors to seize this opportunity.

Although a few people tap kitul trees in Sri Lanka and collect toddy or produce treacle no one has grown kitul trees in the past to do business, he said. The trees have been spread all over the country only through polecats and people exploited it.

Wickramanayake said it is now opportune to make use of it and produce treacle and jaggery using modern technology,.

Unlike in the past the country has all resources and infrastructure to do this with the latest technology.

There are sky lifts to tap kitul trees and methods to produce treacle slabs like chocolate slabs with attractive containers.

There are four sugar manufacturing factories in the country but only the two at Sevanagala and Pelwatta are operational at present. The other factories in Hingurana and Kantale must receive the immediate attention of the Government to commence operations, Wickramanayake said.