Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, elements of that are covered in my reply. We are pleased with the industry’s recent progress: exports rose from Rs. 57.83 million in 2023 to Rs. 203.19 million in just the first four months of 2025. The industry is expanding beyond traditional areas—now also in Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, Ampara and Hambantota—both in cultivation and value addition. We are planning to link palmyrah products with tourism promotion to showcase this cultural heritage. For example, in Ella (Badulla District), we run training for low-income households to establish micro-enterprises. We intend to further integrate with tourism and popularize palmyrah products beyond traditional regions.