Govt. looking for investors re-open clay factory

Efforts are underway to initiate the manufacturing of clay related products at the We-Uda factory located at Kurunegala for which the government is on the lookout for potential investors.

The Cabinet of Ministers this week gave the nod to lease the un-utilised We-Uda factory in Mawathagama to an eligible investor. The factory is owned by Ceylon Tile Industries Ltd.

Approval was granted to a proposal put forward by the Ministry of Industries to lease the factory to an investor who would confirm higher capability in initiating and managing a clay related industry in the factory premises.

Proposals for the same will soon be called, according to the decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers yesterday.

Up for lease will be the factory located in a land area of nine acres.

Operations at the We Uda factory were halted in 2010 as it faced challenges in sourcing raw materials. The premises was then used by the Sri Lanka Navy to manufacture bricks for the Sanda Hiru Seya (Stupa) in Anuradhapura.

With that operation too coming to a close, the factory remained dormant since 2017.