They worked hard to supply sugar to the country by cultivating sugarcane, their lives were not sweet…
There are four sugar factories in Sri Lanka. Kantale, Hingurana, Pelawatta and Sevanagala. Sugar is produced from sugarcane. But the sugarcane tree is not native to Sri Lanka but to neighboring India. But the sugarcane tree migrated to our country.
Accordingly, sugar factories were established in the country and the lands of the people were taken over for the construction of factories. That’s a long-term thirty-year lease.
Even though these lands were taken over then, there are still many people who are helpless. Especially in the lands acquired on behalf of the Pelawatta Sugar Company, as well as in the lands given in return, there is still confusion.
It was incorporated as Pelawatta Sugar Company on 19 February 1981 and became a public limited liability company on 10 December 1982. In 1990, the ownership company changed its name to Pelawatta Sugar Industries Limited. It was first quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange. Alcohol and sugar production took place here.
resident of Settlement No. 03, Handapanagala, Wellawaya, regarding the problems faced by him since the land acquisition. This is what Mr. Jayaratne said in this regard.
I have lived here since 1985. Before that hen was cultivated in Buttala division. That means by-products. Our lands were taken over by Pelawatta and we were given half an acre of land here. There are 14 settlements here that have been given lands in this manner.
At that time this company was run by a foreign group. When they took over our land they promised us road facilities, medical facilities, jobs for the sugar company for the children, transport facilities for the school children, water and electricity facilities.
We believed them. 1987 This company was taken over by the government. Then we had to go to the company and get permission to send a child to school, cut down a tree in the garden and do whatever. We had no rights over these lands. We had no idea about it. In short, we did not even know whether the land tax had been abolished.
At that time in 2017 the Uva Wellassa Women’s Organization came to us and explained the legal situation regarding the acquisition of these lands and provided legal assistance. Accordingly, we withdrew from the tax and demanded the ownership of our land and informed everyone including the President and the Prime Minister.
According to the notification, the eligible and scattered lands will be surveyed by 2017-12-12. But it did not happen. We inquired about this under the Freedom of Information Act. Accordingly land Kachcheri has been established and by now several settlements have been given land ownership.
We once again inquired under the Freedom of Information Act about those who did not receive it. It was then learned that the residence certificate could not be issued due to some shortcomings in the lands. Therefore, we have taken those shortcomings from the Pelawatta Sugar Company and given them away.
The 2014 Central Bank report on the Pelawatta Sugar Company stated that the ownership of the company had changed in March 2011 due to a change of ownership of 47% of the shares and that the number of permanent employees was over 1300.
The factory is engaged in sugarcane cultivation on about 6000 hectares of cultivable lands in the Uva area. In 2014, the factory produced about 18,000 metric tons of sugar and has a number of by-products.
“Sugar factories have offered a high farm price of Rs. 4,000 to Rs. Production at the Pelwatta factory has dropped by 36.7 percent to 17,964 metric tons due to declining sugarcane production in the factory-associated areas.
Pelawatta Sugar Company has given four acres each to the settlers for cultivation in addition to half an acre of residential land. The four acres belong to the company and will not be transferred to them.
They should cultivate sugarcane in this land and give it to the company. In this regard Mr. Jayaratne stated that the income from sugarcane cultivation is between Rs. 600-650 per day. They cost more than that.
A ton of sugarcane seeds costs Rs. 6,000. 04 tons were required for 04 acres. Mr. Jayaratne says it costs around Rs. 150,000 per acre to prepare the ground, prepare the ground a second time, spray the seeds, fertilize on time, make drains, spray the herbicide, plant the seedlings, cut the crop, labor and transportation.
All these raw materials are obtained on loan from Pelawatta Sugar Company. Although he earns about two and a half lakhs after the harvest, the sugarcane farmer is left with a meager amount of money after paying interest on all the goods obtained on credit.
You have to wait for 9 months for a sugarcane plantation. Mr. Jayaratne says that the company has also banned the cultivation of intercrops in these lands. Also, if the fertilizer, herbicides, drainage, spraying and harvesting are delayed on time, this income will also be lost, he said.
They are not entitled to the fertilizer subsidy from the government and have to obtain fertilizer from the company at their own expense. Also, Kathy has to buy every year to harvest the sugarcane. Mr. Jayaratne points out that it costs Rs. 1000 per unit and there is an additional cost for that as well.
In addition, they have other problems. Especially since the roads leading to these settlements are not properly prepared, there is only one cloud of dust during the dry season. Muddy during the rainy season. There is only one bus running here. No internet access. Other settlements do not have running water.
Although the government took steps to provide online education to children during the Corona era, the children of these three settlements have also lost it. Because none of its internet is functional.
Although they worked hard to supply sugar to the country by cultivating sugarcane, their lives were not sweet. There is no one to look at them either.
But now there is a sugarcane minister. He should take steps to find solutions to their problems.