The Cabinet of Ministers has given approval to implement a project based on Public Private Partnership Scheme to add value to the graphite obtained from excavation by Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka Limited.
Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka Limited is a wholly owned government company that produces 65-70 metric tons of graphite per month and exports the entire product as raw materials without any value addition.
It has been noted that Sri Lanka supplies only about 7% of the world graphite requirement and unlikely to make an impact on the international market. Hence, it is imperative to add value to the graphite excavated from the Kahatagaha mines to boost exports of graphite, a statement on the cabinet decisions said.
Accordingly, cabinet of ministers have approved a proposal put forward by the Minister of Industries and Supply chain Management to invite local and foreign investors under the competitive bidding process to express intent only for the value addition to the excavated graphite.
The cabinet also has given the nod to evaluate the proposals by a Project Committee and a Cabinet appointed Negotiation Committee to select a suitable investor and implement the proposed project.
