Rubber Master Plan by March - Minister

Monday, January 18, 2016 - 01:00

Two awards were presented to N. G. Wickramaratne and P. G. J. M. G. Pringiers to appreciate the dynamic leadership and guidance provided by by them over the past three decades. Here Pringiers receiving the award from the Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake looked on by SLAMERP Chairman, Prabhash Subasinghe.

Although the rubber production in the country has come down the value addition component has gone up and in 2014 Sri Lanka has exported 1.4 billion worth of rubber products which was commendable, said Navin Dissanayake, Minister of Plantation Industries.

He was addressing the 30th anniversary celebrations of Rubber Based Equipment Producers and Exporters Society in Colombo on Thursday.

The minister said that they have taken very ambitious projects such as the one in Moneragala in expanding rubber production.

Also the government was putting in place the Rubber Master Plan which will be initiated in March.

The Prime Minister has already given the green light for it and under his visionary leadership has identified 10 key areas. With the inputs of the private sector also the government plans to take the Rubber Master Plan forward, Dissanayake said.

In the 1960's and 1970's Sri Lanka's economy depended largely on the Rubber Industry.

In the 1970's Sri Lanka had a record production of 155,000 MT of natural rubber. After the liberalization of the economy in 1977, the growth of the rubber industry has been steady. But now the industry is facing a crisis because natural rubber prices have come down.

Sri Lanka as a country producing only one percent of global rubber production seems to be caught by the fluctuations in commodity prices, the minister said.

Dissanayake said the government was very keen in creating the right environment for rubber producers and exporters to go forth in the expansion of the rubber trade in Sri Lanka.

"The Rubber Master Plan envisions a broad conceptual concept that will not only salvage the rubber industry but make it prosperous," Dissanayake said.

He also disclosed that they have received Rs 100 million to set up the Rubber Secretariat this year and the Rubber Department has allocated Rs one billion to be given as subsidiaries.

The minister added that they would seriously be looking at the concept of a rubber hub in the future to further promote the rubber industry in the country.