SRI LANKA
-headquartered Lankem Ceylon Plc has announced that its unit, Kotagala Plantation, is planning to develop some 15,000 hectares of rubber plantation in Cambodia.
Lankem’s Chairman A. Rajaratnam says via an annual report, “The area that will be used for cultivation in Cambodia is nearly four times as large as the company’s cultivations in Sri Lanka, and will be key to securing the company’s future financial success.”
Lankem adds that mono-crop firms such as Kotagala and its other plantation arm Agarapatna Plantation will face difficulty in meeting the future wage demands, particularly when tea markets worsens. Kotagala will be in a better position to spread the risks, as it comprises both tea (12) and rubber (11) plantations, says the firm.
According to Kotagala’s website, it has “08 Rubber manufacturing units, producing the highest quality Pale Crepe and Sole Crepe. The main manufacturing unit, “Padukka”, is ISO 9002 Certified and is considered to be one of the best Rubber producing units in the island”.