Eastern Province Governor Mrs. Anurahda Jayampath who visited the Kantale Sugar Factory on an inspection tour recently said steps would be taken to re-open the sugar factory under a new investor within the next three months.She expressed hope that the factory would be ready to start production within the next three months.
It was observed that the factory had remained out of commission for nearly 25 years thrusting machinery and equipment valued at nearly Rs. 5,000 million to neglect and ruin. The Kantale sugar factory which was received as a Czechoslovakian government aid grant began production on October 2, 1960.In 1993 it was rested in a private company and suffered closure by the end of 1999. Although the factory was again taken over by the government in 1997 it did not begin production.