Strategic plan to develop Kitul Industry

A three year strategic programme has been launched to develop the kitul industry, under the patronage of the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development.

This includes the addition of 30,000 new plants for tapping, training of 6,000 tappers, establishment of 90 small scale enterprises for kitul based industries, add Rs.4 million to the GDP through the industry, registration of kitul industrialists, and enrolling them in a pension and social security scheme.

Also, several steps have been taken to tap untapped trees, and develop the industry with modern technologies. The Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development said that measures are being taken to include training of persons engaged in the industry with modern technologies, provide machinery and equipment, advice on marketing and other techniques, marketing facilities for production of kitul related products and assist the industrialists to obtain bank loans in order to make the kitul industry an integral part of the government’s one million domestic economic unit programme.

The Minister said that the introduction of a “Randiya” Pension and Social Benefit Scheme launched today in coordination with the Sri Lanka Social Security Board of the Ministry of Finance was undertaken to provide social security for kitul industrialists and make them eligible for pensions when they reach the age of 60 years.