The Sri Lanka government plans to establish five new garment factories to provide thousands of jobs for the youth of resettled villages in the North of the country. The government has selected an area of 75 acres to be allocated to the factories located in the districts of Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Mannar.
In a joint effort by the Sri Lanka Textile and Garment Institute, the Sri Lanka Garment Exporters Association and the Trade and Industrial Ministry, the proper steps have been taken to ensure the facilities will improve the apparel industry while still providing enough incentives to investors, Sri Lanka’s official government website reported.
A recent survey conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Textile and Apparel, the Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters and the Welioya Divisional Secretariat, revealed there are more than 2,500 workers in the regions near the Vavuniya, Anuradhapura and Trincomalee districts who are interested in working in the garment industry. Roughly 500 of these workers have worked in the industry previously and already possess the necessary skills.
Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, minister of industry and commerce, made a proposal at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, to build five garment or related industries facilities in the Welioya Divisional Secretary’s Division on a 50 acre piece of land that belongs to the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority. He also proposed building five more projects in the Musali Divisional Secretary’s Division over 25 acres of state land located in Kallaru village in the Kondachchi Grarna Niladhari Division. The cabinet approved his proposal.
As of 2013, apparel and textiles are the country’s largest export categories and account for 43 percent of total annual exports. The U.S. and Europe are Sri Lanka’s largest apparel customers, representing about 70 percent of the country’s total apparel exports.