Lanka Sugar Company, which functions under the Ministry of Industries and Enterprise Development, has opened its first retail outlet for brown sugar in Nugegoda. The move aims to make locally produced brown sugar from the Pelwatte and Sevanagala factories available to consumers at reasonable prices, reports Newswire.
This launch marks a major step for the company, which came under government ownership in 2011 and is now setting up a retail network after 14 years. The initiative also comes amid recent rumours suggesting that the Pelwatte and Sevanagala factories were being closed or privatized, which the company has denied.
Minister Sunil Handunnetti said the new outlet represents “a significant step forward for Lanka Sugar,” adding that the government has decided to waive statutory payments for the company from January 1 to help improve its performance.
The new retail network is expected to benefit over 250,000 sugarcane farming families by ensuring a consistent market for their harvest.
The Nugegoda outlet, located on Nawala Road, will sell brown sugar in both bulk and retail quantities, along with products such as jaggery, treacle, and sugarcane-based drinks.
The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Trade and Food Security R. M. Jayawardena, parliamentarians, officials from the ministry, Lanka Sugar Chairperson Sandamali Chandrasekara, and representatives of local authorities and sugarcane growers.
