Underutilized lands of state plantations to be leased

The Cabinet has granted approval to release underutilized land in state planations to selected investors on long term lease basis.

In the budget speeches for 2023 and 2024, the President has pointed out that a large amount of land owned by government plantation agencies such as the Janatha Estate Development Board and the Sri Lanka State Plantation Corporation has remained without cultivation or productive use for a long time due to various reasons such as legal problems, institutional conflicts, lack of capital etc.

The proposal to the cabinet said that it has been recognized that such large scale lands and underutilized lands appropriate to be given on lease basis to selected investors with the potential to grow exportable crops, raise livestock farms for export and produce other exportable goods and services.

A plantation reform program has been prepared by the Non-Cabinet Minister of State Plantation Enterprise Reform to effectively utilize the such lands in a way that will bring multiple benefits to the society by involving local entrepreneurs, the note said.

Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Proposal presented by the President for the implementation of the project.