Sanmik Food Group to invest Rs 700 mn for plant in Ipologama Anuradhapura

Sanmik Food Group of Companies in Australia and Sri Lanka jointly invested Rs. 700 million to open Sanmik Food and desiccated coconut dehydration unit at Ipologama in Anuradhapura.

In addition to Desiccated Coconut Dehydration Unit operations, the factory will also have a special unit to dehydrate drumstick (Murunga) leaves for export purposes. Under the next phase the company will manufacture health capsules form dehydrated Murunga leaves for the global market. The factory provides direct employment for 150 and a further 400 indirect employment opportunities.

Managing Director Sanmik Food Pathmalal Withanage said that they commenced Sri Lankan operations with two white coconut oil manufacturing plants in Divulapitiya and Bingiriya five years ago. “We saw a global demand for desiccated coconut and invested in this factory,” he said. He said that they will also be opening a Desiccated Coconut Dehydration Unit in the Philippines at the end of the year. “Both these factories will export Desiccated Coconut to USA, EU and Australia.” Sanmik Natural Food Pty Ltd in Sydney and Australia is an organic and conventional food producer set up in 2007. “We are looking at manufacturing various items of spices and Organic tea mainly for the Australian market which would be distributed by our two companies.” Meanwhile, Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake who was the Chief Guest at the opening said that this factory was the first coconut based factory to be set up outside the coconut triangle which will give the coconut growers a better price for their produce.”

Sanmik Food Group of Companies also launched some of their food products from Australia to the Sri Lankan market in September under the ‘OnRich’ brand name. “Plans are already underway to expand our presence in Sri Lanka and also manufacture some of these imprinted products in Sri Lanka.”