Largest sugar plant for Horowpothana

Nimal Wijesinghe - Anuradhapura Additional District group correspondent

Plans are afoot to construct of country's largest sugar manufacturing plant in Horowpothana electorate on the banks of Yan-Oya in Anuradhapura District. This project will be mooted on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa under the patronage of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa by the new Sugar Development Ministry Economic Development and Agrarian Services Deputy Minister S M Chandrasena said.

The Deputy Minister said so at a media conference at his Anuradhapura Office on February 16. He said Treasury approval has been granted for the project. It has been proposed to divert the waters of Yan-Oya at Ellepothana anicut for a 5,000 acre sugar cane plantation to be cultivated close to the proposed sugar factory. In addition 222,000 farmers selected on the basis of 10,000 from each Divisional Secretariat Division in the district out of 22 such jurisdictions will be encouraged to grow sugar cane.

Chandrasena said more than 5,000 direct and indirect job opportunities would be provided under the first phase of the project.

"There is only 30 kilometers from Horowpothana to Kantale where the sugar cane industry is thriving. Scientific tests proved that the soil in the Yan-Oya zone is suitable for sugar cane cultivation than the Kantale soil.

We produce only 10 percent of the country's sugar requirement. It is envisaged to manufacture 20 percent of this requirement from proposed Horowpothana sugar factory", he said "It should be remembered that late Dharmadasa Banda, a former Agriculture Minister was optimistic about sugar cane industry in Horowpothana area," he said.

Chandrasena said the construction of the proposed Horowpothana Sugar Factory and the sugar cane cultivation project in the Anuradhapura district would begin this year.