The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure
The Minister provided detailed information on Sri Lanka’s cinnamon sector, stating that about 90 per cent of cinnamon lands are located in Galle, Matara, Ratnapura, Hambantota and Kalutara, with a total cultivated extent of about 37,500 hectares in 2024. He said the Department of Cinnamon Development is headquartered in Karandeniya, Galle, in a rented building, with operational units including a zonal office in Gampaha and a field cadre of 268 officers. He outlined departmental programmes on export market development, GI certification for Ceylon Cinnamon, new cultivation support, productivity improvement, quality certification, training, processing and value addition, with further details tabled.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, answers regarding cinnamon:
¶ 02 (a) (i) About 90% of Sri Lanka’s cinnamon lands are in five main districts: 1. Galle 2. Matara 3. Ratnapura 4. Hambantota 5. Kalutara
¶ 03 Additionally, smaller extents exist in: Badulla, Kurunegala, Matale, Gampaha, Puttalam, Monaragala, Colombo, Kegalle, Ampara, Trincomalee, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Nuwara Eliya.
¶ 04 (ii) Total area: 37,500 hectares (approximately 93,750 acres) as at 2024. By district (hectares): - Galle: 12,350.55 - Matara: 9,683.30 - Ratnapura: 5,231.28 - Hambantota: 3,576.27 - Kalutara: 2,766.44 - Other districts: 3,892
¶ 05 (iii) Department of Cinnamon Development.
¶ 06 (iv) The Department’s Head Office is established in Borakanda GN Division, Karandeniya DS Division, Galle District.
¶ 07 (v) Only basic physical resources were provided through recurrent budgetary allocations. From 01.01.2024, the Department’s Head Office commenced in a rented building at Rs. 300,000 per month at the above location.
¶ 08 (vi) Yes. Operational units: - Head Office: Galle, Karandeniya - Zonal Office: Gampaha - Field cadre: 268 officers
¶ 09 The Department implements programmes including: - Opening new export markets and facilitating participation of small and medium cinnamon entrepreneurs in international exhibitions; - Linking exporters with foreign buyers and working with foreign missions (e.g., China); - Activities for Geographical Indication (GI) certification for Ceylon Cinnamon; - National promotional programmes; - New cultivation development in traditional and non-traditional areas with planting material subsidies (Rs. 15 per plant) for 20 perches to 5 acres, plus full technical extension.
¶ 10 Additional detailed programmes and services (productivity enhancement, replanting support, pest/disease prevention, climate-resilient water systems, quality improvement, equipment supply, processing centres, oil extraction units, storage, value addition, certifications such as GMP/ISO 22000/HACCP/FSSC 22000/BRCGS; advisory and training, GAP, GI compliance, soil pH testing; services via the Tihagoda National Cinnamon Research and Training Institute) — Rest of the Answer tabled.
¶ 11 (vii) Not applicable.
¶ 12 (b) Not applicable.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 23 September 2025 ·No. 1758876121024768 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 23 September 2025. No. 1758876121024768. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/15522