Sri Lankan authorities to consider revival of china clay mining in country to boost tableware exports
A senior official of a top Japanese tableware exporter with a factory in Sri Lanka has reportedly said that local ceramic tableware manufacturers are trying to revive kaolin or china clay mining to reduce reliance on imports.
Hidenori Tanaka, Chairman and Managing Director of Noritake Lanka Porcelain (Pvt) Ltd. has said that access to kaolin was one of the difficulties faced by tableware firms in the country which was known for having good quality raw materials.
“One of the strengths of Sri Lanka is availability of good quality raw materials,” he has been quoted as saying in a speech at the annual meeting of the Sri Lanka Ceramics and Glass Council which groups manufacturers of ceramic tableware, tiles and sanitary ware, clay roof tiles and glass bottles.
According to reports, Sri Lanka had good deposits of kaolin, feldspar, silica and quarts which were used by manufacturers.
“But unfortunately mining and processing of kaolin has been stopped and all ceramic manufacturers are forced to import kaolin from overseas,” Tanaka has stated.
The ceramics and glass council was working with Lanka Ceramic, the main supplier of clay raw material to the industry, to resume kaolin processing so imports can be stopped, local media reports noted.
The main kaolin mines are in Meetiyagoda which is Sri Lanka’s southwestern coastal region.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s exports manufacturing sector has been undergoing many developments in order to further spur the continuous growth recorded by the sector. The move to consider China clay mining once again in the country would undoubtedly help Sri Lanka’s ceremic manufacturing industry giving local ceremic products an edge in the global market. All this will increase business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s export manufacturing sector. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, the ease of doing business environment in the country and the many trade agreements as well as the trade concessions enjoyed by the country have made it an attractive business destination in the South Asian region.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20191126/Z_1 |