Traditional pottery industry to be revived

by Nimal Wijesinghe, Anuradhapura Additional District group corr.

The traditional pottery industry in the Anuradhapura district which has been deteriorating is being revived under the "Industries to the village programme in accordance with the Mahinda Chinthana.

The industry is upgraded to arrest the rampant renal diseases in the Anuradhapura district and outskirts. Indigenous Medicine Minister Tissa Karalliyedde has made arrangements to purchase pottery to be distributed among the villagers free.

The Minister said 50,000 families have been given clay kitchen utensils replacing aluminium cooking appliances in Anuradhapura, Trincomalee and Badulla districts, where renal diseases are rampant.

Under the guidance of the Indigenous Medicine Ministry, 24 pottery villages in Anuradhapura district, where the villagers have vacated commercial pottery manufacture due to lack of incentives, have commenced production.

They have entered into agreements to supply their produce to the Ministry to sell their products at a reasonable, guaranteed price.

In return the Ministry endeavours to elevate the infrastructure facilities in the 24 pottery villages.

Recently the Government on a par with the concept extended machinery and equipment worth Rs. 2 million to the pottery village "Kurulugama" in Kebithigollewa.

In addition the Ministry has initiated a training programme in pottery village youths and manufacturers adopting primitive methods to upgrade the industry. The equipment donated included six industry water pumps, 22 potters wheels, 68 wheel-barrows, clay seasoning machine, mammoties etc. an all purpose building complex worth Rs. 600,000 was opened and the road via the village proceeding from Kebithigollewa to Horowpothana will be rehabilitated at a cost of Rs. 550,000.

Minister Tissa Karalliyedde said: "We have succeeded in fully resolving the marketing problem faced by potters as infrastructural facilities are being extended, the cost of production would decrease. The electrical clay seasoning machine would be of immense help for them in turning out quality clay products."

"At a time youth are highly hopeful and ambitious in getting white collar jobs, the awakening of the traditional pottery industry would provide them self-employment. "I am very grateful for Minister S.B. Navinna for his patronage in empowering the livelihoods of people in 24 pottery villages." Karalliyedde said.