The Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development
Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe stated that Sri Lanka has a shortage of suitable industrial land and that performance varies across industrial parks managed by the Ministry, IDB, BOI and Provincial Councils, with BOI parks generally functioning better due to export focus and infrastructure. He reported that 527 industries operate in Ministry parks, 408 are closed, 14 of 33 operating parks are at full capacity, and space remains in some parks, while SME data collection is still underway. He said a national plan covering all relevant agencies is being formulated, with 10 new industrial parks planned for the year on about 570 acres, supported by Rs. 1.5 billion from the Budget and proposed public-private partnerships for infrastructure and services.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, I answer on behalf of the Minister.
¶ 02 Sri Lanka faces a critical shortage of suitable industrial land. Parks exist under the Ministry, under IDB, under BOI, and under Provincial Councils. BOI parks function well due to strong export focus and superior infrastructure; other parks face constraints.
¶ 03 (a) (i) Under the Ministry’s parks, 527 industries are currently operating island-wide. Details by park and product are in Annexes 1 to X, placed in the Library.
¶ 04 (ii) As at 31.12.2024, 408 industries in Ministry parks are closed.
¶ 05 (iii) Of 33 operating parks, 14 are at full capacity.
¶ 06 (iv) Yes, there is space in some parks.
¶ 07 (v) The Ministry has not conducted a national census of SMEs; data gathering is underway. Seventeen parks are also operated under the IDB.
¶ 08 (b) (i) Yes. A national plan, beyond agency silos (Ministry/BOI/IDB), is being formulated.
¶ 09 (ii) Ten new parks are planned this year with about 570 acres of land: Ingiriya, Raigama, Millaniya (Phase II), Paranthan, Valachchenai, Puliyankulama, Arachchikattuwa, Thihagoda, Mawathagama, Alayapattuwa, and Bingiriya. These will include sector-focused parks to boost productivity. The plan will be presented to the country and investors.
¶ 10 (iii) Rs. 1.5 billion has been allocated in the national Budget. Additionally, public-private partnerships are envisaged: Government to provide land; private sector to build and operate park infrastructure and services.
¶ 11 (c) Does not arise.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Monday, 3 March 2025 ·No. 1742268353096939 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 3 March 2025. No. 1742268353096939. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/18339