Luxury apartments from  Colombo Land Group 

The four-unit apartment complex is situated off Hill Street, Dehiwala, which is adjacent to Lotus Grove the press release further said.

According to the General Manager, Colombo Land & Development Group Ms. Preethi Gunaratne, the Liberty Court apartments offer home dwellers the latest and best in comfort and style. These elegant, architect designed apartments have a choice of 2-3 airy bedrooms, and a floor area ranging from 1599 sq. ft. to 2168 sq.ft., a living and dining room, a fully fitted pantry with terrazzo flooring, attached toilets with imported fittings, hot water through individual geyser, a toilet for use of domestic, individual sump, pump & water tank, a built in car porch with roller door, ceiling fans in all bedrooms/living rooms, provision for air conditioning, 7 ft. high boundary wall, telephone and much more.

St. Anthony's distributor network extends 

Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director St.-Anthony's Consolidated, Mr.S.R.Gnanam said that they have identified the Kuliyapitiya area as one that has tremendous potential, while further went on to say that appointing Shantha Stores was due to the fact that they were the leading retail outlet for that area.

Also, present were Mr.Chaminda Rajapakse, Area Manager, St.Anthony's Consolidated and Ms.Sharon Jayawardena, Executive Secretary, St Anthony's Consolidated.
Biz Briefs

Puttalam Cement changes name

"The cement will continue to be marketed under the same brand name, Sanstha", said Manilal Fernando, Chairman of Holcim (Lanka) Ltd (HLL). PCCL's partner is Holcim Ltd, a Swiss International Company.

He said that the Rs. 500 million debt given to PCCL by Holcim Ltd has now been converted to equity after the change. A further US $ 3.5 million has been given for certain technical advancements in the factory, he added.

"We would proceed with our plans only after the (Sri Lanka) budget," he said. Jim Mackay, Managing Director of HLL said that Sri Lanka is the second Asian country to team up with Holcim International while Bangaladesh was the first. The fully integrated cement plant of HLL is located in Puttalam and the company has a market share of 36 percent in the local cement trade.

Touchwood to double mahogany cultivation

TIL Director Marketing, Vijitha Walgamage, said the company had already cultivated nearly 120 acres of Mahogany in the Ratnapura district.

Touchwood grows mahogany trees and sells plots to investors who can cut the trees and sell the wood after 17 1/2 years. About 600 people have bought trees, which Walgamage said would be a good investment for a child plan or for pensioners. The closing date for the IPO, managed by Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka Limited (MBSL), is February 25. All the plots are insured by Janashakthi Insurance Company against fire and political vandalism, said TIL Chairman, Roscoe A. Maloney. "This IPO is significant as it is the first to appear in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) since 2000," MBSL Managing Director Sunil Wijesinghe said. He said that this is also the first IPO to reach the market since the new listing rules were introduced by the CSE.

Wijesinghe said this investment vehicle would help tackle deforestation while creating employment and investment opportunities in the country. "Our company's vision is to stop the destruction of rain forests," Maloney said. He said that Sri Lankan grown mahogany timber is recognised for its good quality world wide and has a ready market in Sri Lanka as well as in European countries.

ASHRAE's Sri Lanka chapter launched

The association was initially formed in 1959 in the US to advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration.

Ranjan Fernando, chairman, publicity committee of ASHRAE, Sri Lanka said the chartering ceremony of the Sri Lanka chapter would be held on February 5 in Colombo in the presence of ASHRAE President Bill Coad and other members of the main body in the US.

Idac launches new range of air conditioners

He said Acson International which is part of an international group, has marketed these products in Sri Lanka since 1994 with the collaboration of Idac. "Acson International has today acquired a market share of 48.9 percent of light commercial equipment in Sri Lanka," he said. Idac has also expanded into international markets and now markets their products in India and Maldives, said Silva. (DM)

Cut duties on bicycle imports

In a statement the association said current duties on bicycles in addition to the 40 percent surcharge on duty plus 12.5 percent GST and NSL makes the bicycle on par with luxury items with the highest duty slab applied.

"These high rates of duty and taxes have pushed the bicycle beyond the reach of poorer sections of the community. The earlier UNP government dispensed with the turnover tax and also reduced the defence levy in order to bring down the price of bicycles and make it affordable to the poor masses," it said. The association said that making bicycles available at an affordable price would ease the country's transport problem and help reduce diesel and petrol consumption.

Nivasiepura's first phase on schedule

The Rs. 2 billion project, which celebrated its first anniversary last month, encompasses 144 acres of landscaped and developed real estate near Kotugoda in Ja-Ela. On completion in 2004, it will comprise 1,800 houses with comprehensive infrastructural and recreational facilities.

"Our first year of operation has been very encouraging," Herman Gonsal, General Manager of Nivasie Developers (Pvt) Ltd, the promoter of the project, said. "The second phase of construction has just commenced and is scheduled for completion this year."

Spices chief addresses World Congress

A 14-member delegation from SAPPTA also participated at the 6th World Spice Congress held from January 31 to February 2 in Cochin, India.

The World Spice Congress brings the major players of the spices industry together on a global platform to exchange ideas, share experiences and form profitable partnerships.

Producing wild rice for the 'wild' west

n Why isn't there a consistent policy on rice imports? Ad hoc changes in import tariffs to protect either the farmers or consumers and imports of rice just before the paddy harvest make it difficult for farmers to get remunerative prices? Even this year a large stock of rice is to be imported just before the harvest?

For the last decade, agriculture as a whole was badly neglected and there was no consistent policy for a long, medium and short-term plan. Now we are in the process of drafting an action plan to improve the agriculture sector. In this present context, during the months of December and January, there is a tendency for prices to increase but by March prices should gradually come down to a reasonable level as it is the harvest season. The import of rice is a temporary measure.

n How could the government ensure remunerative prices for paddy farmers and cheap prices for consumers?

We have already imposed a 9-rupee tax for every 1 kg of imported rice to protect the local farmer. This will ensure remunerative prices for farmers. Moreover, we are looking at ways and means of reducing the cost of production in a scientific way - our long term plan - by using fertiliser, introduction of hybrid methods and so on.

n What steps are being taken to stop the exploitation of farmers by the middleman?

I don't think farmers are being exploited by the middleman. The big risk they (the middleman) take in storing and transporting rice until it reaches the market is a great service to the farmer. The middleman plays a vital role in ensuring the free flow of goods that are produced by our farmers. The main problem faced by our farmers, I would say, is the threat from cheaper imported products.

n Isn't there a need to ensure food security? Shouldn't Sri Lanka be self-sufficient in essential foodstuffs?

Our present programmes for food security are still in the primitive stage due to the high electricity and transport costs involved. Therefore, we are going to set up ten cold rooms with a capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes in selected areas very soon to enhance the storage of farm produce. Last year we were almost self-sufficient in rice and many essential food items. In the next two years we are planning to stop rice imports after achieving self-sufficiency.

n Shouldn't the government ensure the availability of high quality seed for farmers and not depend on imports?

We have a two-year master plan to make available high quality seeds as well as hybrid products to increase productivity.

n The present method of rice cultivation - by smallholders on small plots - is not very efficient. Will restrictions on selling agriculture land especially paddy land be removed? Will big companies be encouraged to take to paddy cultivation to achieve economies of scale?

The Ministry of Agriculture has established a separate division in order to introduce the 'SRI' system (a new cultivation method) which is now being successfully implemented in Madagascar to increase the productivity of small holdings. Moreover, we are going to revise the present law to restrict the selling of agricultural lands.

n What are government plans to liberalise the agriculture sector? In what areas will the private sector be encouraged to operate? 

Due to the high cost of production and price fluctuations, the private sector doesn't want to get involved in the agriculture sector. Therefore, we are going to make the agriculture sector more profitable by introducing new technology and use of fertiliser for crops in a systematic way. This will automatically encourage the private sector to get involved in the agriculture sector. If the private sector intends to start medium and large-scale farms, we will definitely support them.

n What incentives are being considered for the local farmers to encourage development of domestic agriculture?

As a short-term plan we have imposed a 20-rupee tax on potato imports and a 30-rupee tax on imported chillies for every kilo. This will give an immediate boost to our farmers.

n When there is a shortage of rice why are there rice exports to other countries?

There is a big demand for organic rice and vegetables from Europe which is more expensive than normal varieties in the market. Therefore, we are encouraging interested parties to grow such varieties to earn foreign exchange. We are going to produce wild rice varieties which are more than several thousand years old. This type of grain is very popular in the West.

n Why can't Sri Lanka produce expensive varieties of rice like Basmathi?

Our weather is not conducive to produce the Basmathi variety. We are still in the experimental stage.

n Is there any way to reduce the cost of production in products like rice and potatoes?

At present, we give a 60 percent fertiliser subsidy to farmers to control the cost of production. As a long-term measure, we are going to introduce tissue culture and hybrid varieties as a remedy to increase the annual yield per hectare, which has a direct bearing on reducing the cost of production in the long run.

n What action has your ministry taken to improve the dairy industry and the livestock industry?

The previous government handled this area in a haphazard manner. As this sector comes under my purview we have short-term and a long-term plans to help this industry become self-sufficient. I am now having discussions with India's Amul Dairy Company to encourage them to start up their operations in Sri Lanka. Their response is very encouraging.

In the meantime, we must educate our people to consume more liquid milk which is more nutritious than powdered milk. The problem faced by our milk farmers is the high cost of production. In future, to improve the local dairy industry, we intend to impose a tax on powdered milk except infant milk. We want to be self-sufficient in milk in ten years.

n Imports of chicken and eggs adversely affected poultry farmers sometime ago. How would you address this issue now?

This industry has a ready export market but it has been weakened due to the high cost of imported inputs. The high cost of production has created problems for our local producers. Therefore, we are going to remove the 20 percent tax imposed on poultry feed to bring down the cost of production.

n What are your plans under the 100-day programme to develop agriculture?

Within 100 days we want to set up one million agricultural home gardens throughout the country and develop school agricultural lands. We want to introduce a flower fair to give a fillip to this industry.