Providing under – utilized Plantation Lands to Investors/Entrepreneurs on Long Term Lease
Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 12-01-2026 to formulate a suitable program to lease underutilized plantation lands on long-term basis to youth entrepreneurs engaged in foreign employment who remit foreign exchange to the country, allowing them to invest in the plantation sector. The Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure has formulated […]
On 12-01-2026, at a cabinet meeting, approval was granted to establish a program for leasing underutilized plantation lands on a long-term basis to young entrepreneurs working abroad. The Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, devised a procedure to implement this scheme.
The resolution, presented by the Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, was sanctioned by the Cabinet of Ministers. Under this initiative, 247 hectares of underutilized plantation lands will be made available for investment. These lands are spread across three entities - 117 hectares owned by the Sri Lanka State Plantations Corporation, 88 hectares by the Janatha Estates Development Board, and 42 hectares owned by Elkaduwa Plantations Ltd.
Eligibility criteria for investors are strictly defined. They must be 50 years old and have remitted foreign exchange to the country through their foreign employment. The program offers opportunities in various sectors including plantation/agri businesses, plantation-based hydro power generation, solar power generation, factory-based manufacturing, freshwater fisheries, and other plantation-related economic innovations.
Investments will be granted in plots of land ranging from 1 to 4 hectares. Investors will be selected through a formal procurement process. Priority will be given to those who have been employed abroad for at least 3 years within the past decade, or migrant workers who have served abroad for more than 3 years under this program.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
