Plantation life changes over the years - a response

Project Director of the Plantation Development Project Raja Premadasa has sent us a response to the write-up that appeared in the Business News (page ii) of March 4. The letter says;

As the Project Director of the ADB and JICA-assisted Plantation Development Project (PDP), which is being implemented under the Ministry of Plantation Industries, let me at the outset thank you very much, for providing publicity to the work that has been done in the estates to improve the well-being of the plantation workers.

However, I wish to pinpoint some concerns regarding a few statements in the article, which could create wrong impressions in the minds of the readers.

A) The views reported to have been expressed by Reggie Rajiah, imply that most/all the good work that has gone in to benefit the plantation workers, has been carried out solely by the Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT), on its own. In fact, the PHDT is a service provider having a network in the plantation areas, (lending technical support) for all the programs implemented by the Government of Sri Lanka of some assistance from the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and the PHDT is being paid for the services rendered either by the GOSL or RPCs.

b) Under the Plantation Development Project alone, during the last five years, specially in line with the Government's policy of 'Mahinda Chinthana' over Rs. 2,693 m has been spent on various social development programs.

At the same time, RPCs have also contributed over Rs. 700 m towards these activities. Items that have been highlighted in the above article, such as, the construction of rest rooms in the fields (first time in the history) and factories, upgrading or rehabilitation of worker houses, factory development aiming at HACCP and ISO certification, development of estate worker cooperatives and cash management training, and provision of sanitation facilities were financed jointly by the Government (through Budgetary and Project financing) and the RPCs.

In addition, Rehabilitation of estate internal roads, construction of concrete foot paths, supply of electricity and water to worker houses and social awareness programs on alcoholism, gender and development, strengthening of worker institutions, household cash management, orientation of managers and estate staff and development of quality circles, were undertaken with 100 percent financing through project funds obtained from the ADB and JICA on loan by the Government.

c) Therefore, in reality, credit is due to the Government and the RPCs for the work that has been completed in the estate sector, rather than to the PHDT, which functions as a service provider, with financial compensation for the services rendered, through Government/project finances.

d) Some of the completed works during the past five years (in line with Mahinda Chinthana Program) under the PDP and amounts spent on those are given to give a better picture of the physical achievements and the financial outlay involved.

RPCs too have contributed 40 percent of the cost of the above except, road rehabilitation and social awareness programs.

It should also be noted that, apart from the work completed under the PDP, there are several other programs also being implemented by the Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Ministry, Youth Empowerment and Socio Economic Development Ministry, Community Development and Social Inequity Eradication Ministry using Government bugetary allocations in the estate sector.