Ceramic industry mining for raw materials

Rs 9 m partnership with stakeholders:

Ravi LADDUWAHETTY

The ceramic industry will shortly go in for a Public -Private Partnership for mining of raw materials for the industry.

Exquisite ceramicware for the world market

Dayasiri Warnakulasuriya

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Treasury, the Ceramics Council and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau in this regard.

The venture will be based on a private-public sector partnership on investment of Rs 9 million where the Treasury will be providing Rs 8 million.

All stakeholders in the industry such as Dankotuwa Porcelain, Midaya Ceramics, Royal Ceramics, Lanka Tiles will collectively contribute Rs 1 million for this, Ceramics Council Chairman Dayasiri Warnakulasuriya told Daily News Business yesterday.

The grant has been facilitated by the Commerce and Industry Ministry which will mean that the industry, in collaboration with the Geological and Survey Mines Bureau will be mining for the key raw materials - Kaolin and Ball Clay which are needed for the industry in Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts.

Warnakulasuriya, who is also Chairman of Midaya Ceramics also said the industry was going through some tough times with the loss of the United States market to the tune of 50 percent with the intervention of China, but had shifted to the European markets where high value added products in small quantities was the way forward for the survival of the industry.

He explained that there was scope within the European Union nations in the tableware and utility items which had high value additions was the way forward in a backdrop in which the industry was battling with ever growing energy costs and other high local overheads as well.