Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-03-27

Value Enhancement of Sri Lankan Timber Industry

When analyzing the development of the other various industries in Sri Lanka, the Timber and the Timber Based Industry indicates a comparative downward trend or slow progress in comparison with other industries. The need for the sustainable development of the Timber and the Timber Based Industry of Sri Lanka a fair balance between the protective and productive capacity of the forest has been recognized. For this purpose, obtaining of membership by Sri Lanka of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) for Forest Conservation which promote conservation and sustainable management and the use and trade of tropical forest resources and marketing, and the establishment of a Timber Innovation and Design Centre in Moratuwa where there are a large number of wood based manufacturing producers, has been planned.

The proposed Timber Innovation and Design Centre would pave the way for the timber manufactures to develop first class timber and to develop Moratuwa area as one of the magnificent design centres with the assistance of the State Timber Corporation and the design groups of the University of Moratuwa. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Susil Premajayantha, the Minister of Science, Technology and Research, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research and the relevant institutions and the Universities, to implement the said proposals, was approved by the Cabinet