Rs. 40 m for development of pottery villages

Thursday, 18 December 2014 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Budget Proposal 2014 provides support to the pottery industry to gain access to modern equipment and designs to manufacture specialised gift items preferred by tourists and also setup marketing centres connecting to the Laksala network. It also sets out the need to have a simplified arrangement for the pottery industry in order to enable them to have required raw materials.

Secretary to the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development V. Sivagnanasothy said that the ministry has been allocated Rs. 40 million in 2014 for the project to develop pottery villages. In accordance with this allocation, 13 villages in 10 districts were developed where beneficiaries have been traditionally engaged in producing pottery have been identified and the project is being implemented by the ministry with the support of the Industrial Development Board, National Crafts Council and National Design Centre. The objective of the Pottery Village program is to transform the pottery sector into a vibrant and powerful sector by introducing new products with market oriented new designs and preserving the traditional pottery skills for succeeding generations. The project has provided intervention and support for technology transfer and training, mobile pug mills, electric potter wheels, kick wheels and kilns, product development programs and diversification of products beyond pots and pans, developing gifts and souvenir items and supporting market linkages. The project has supported the Ellapankulama Pottery Village (43 beneficiaries) and Kudakelegama Pottery Village (40 beneficiaries) in the Anuradhapura District, the Madawalagaraya Pottery Village (60 beneficiaries) in the Kurunegala District, the Polwatta Pottery Village (470 beneficiaries) and the Webadamulla Pottery Village (25 beneficiaries) in the Gampaha District, the Dodamattawala Pottery Village (25 beneficiaries) in the Matale District, the Puranagama Pottery Village(40 beneficiaries) in the Nuwara Eliya District, the Kumbalgama Pottery Village (60 beneficiaries) and the Melpura Pottery Village (40 beneficiaries) in the Matara District, the Eravur Pottery Village (250 beneficiaries) in Batticaloa, the Ranala Pottery Village (40 beneficiaries) in the Colombo District, the Chankanai Pottery Village (50 beneficiaries) in the Jaffna District and the Helambawatawana Pottery Village (51 beneficiaries) in the Puttlam District, the Gotabayapura Pottery Village in Tissamaharamaya in the Hambantota District. The project is supported by the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development and all work is expected to be completed by the end of December 2015. The Secretary of the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Sivagnansothy stated that this initiative will provide a big boost to the pottery sector in the country and help it become a more viable sector and improve the living conditions of pottery dependent families.