The Galoya Plantations (Pvt) Ltd is facing a severe crisis as mountains of unsold brown sugar continue to pile up at its factory.
Company representatives claim that despite a government directive mandating state institutions to buy locally produced sugar, no government agency has made any purchases to date.
According to H.A. Dharmasena, provincial representative of the Save Galoya Plantations Organisation, “not a single grain of sugar” has been purchased by any State-run body.
This failure, he warns, has pushed the factory and its surrounding community into a critical state.
The decline in ethanol sales has further aggravated the company’s financial strain, threatening the livelihoods of both factory employees and the thousands of local farmers who depend on the industry.
The Hingurana sugar crisis highlights growing concerns about the enforcement of the government’s local procurement policy, which requires State entities, including the Tri-Forces, Sri Lanka Police, Department of Prisons, and government hospitals to buy domestically-produced brown sugar.
Dharmasena said that if the situation continues, the domestic sugar industry could face total collapse.
He added that farmers and workers are preparing to launch protests in Hingurana, demanding that the government uphold its commitment to protect local producers.
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