The Lanka Sugar Company, operating under the Ministry of Industries and Enterprise Development, launched the first outlet of its brown sugar retail network in Nugegoda yesterday (11).
The initiative aims to offer consumers high-quality, locally produced brown sugar from the company’s Pelwatte and Sevanagala factories at affordable prices.
This marks a significant milestone for the company, which has been under state ownership since 2011, as it opens its first retail store after 14 years.
The move also serves as a direct response to recent false claims suggesting that the Pelwatte and Sevanagala factories are to be closed or privatized.
Minister of Industries Sunil Handunnetti announced that the government has decided to exempt the company from statutory payments from January 1 to strengthen its operations, describing the initiative as a turning point for Lanka Sugar.
The new retail outlet network is expected to create a stable market for over 250,000 sugarcane farming families, ensuring fair prices for their produce.
Located on Nawala Road in Nugegoda, the outlet will offer both bulk and retail quantities of brown sugar, along with products such as jaggery, honey, and sugarcane-based beverages.
The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Trade and Food Security R. M. Jayawardena, Members of Parliament, ministry officials, Lanka Sugar Chairperson Sandamali Chandrasekara, and representatives of local government institutions and sugarcane growers.
