The Northern Province Investor Forum will be held at the Jaffna Government Agents office on August 22 with the objective of uplifting the lives of people which were affected by the war and support them in income generation, development of livelihoods and creating job opportunities.
The forum is held during the period of Nallur festival, to which a lot of expatriates come to worship. Therefore this is a very opportune time to hold such a forum where we educate the investors on the opportunities available in the Northern Province, said the Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray.
Governor of the Central Bank Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Chairman Board of Investment Upul Jayasuriya, Chairman Industrial Development Board Mahinda Jinasena and Export Development Board Ms Indira Malwatte will make presentations at the Forum.
President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Rehabilitation, Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Affairs minister D.M.Swaminathan and Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Industry and Commerce Minister Rishard Bathiudeen will grace the occasion.
BOI,EDB, IDB, Cashew Corporation, Coconut Development Board, Palmyra Development Board, Sri Lanka Tourist board, National Investment promotion Board, National Aquaculture Development Authority and Department of Fisheries.
He said the war is over and now the priority is for development of the country, on which reconciliation is built. The Northern Province Investor forum will showcase the opportunities available in the province which includes the districts of Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and Mannar.
There are several factories which have been abandoned or destroyed and include the Mullaitivu Tile factory, Paranthan Chemical factory, Elephant Pass salt factory, Point Pedro Distillery, KKS cement factory, three milk processing centers and the Palmyra Processing Centre.
In addition there are nine investment opportunities in Achchuveli as well as 35 projects approved by the Industrial Development Board which can be started said the Governor.
He said that investment opportunities are available in the areas of agriculture and animal husbandry, solar power and wind power, breeding of fresh water fish, Education, higher education and health development of tourism and related services, Development of small and medium entrepreneurs and plantation industries and development of Cashew production.
He said for nine months of the year the province gets bright sun light which can be used to make solar power. Wind power too can be produced in Kalpitiiya and if salt production at the Elephant Pass and Paranthan Salterns are revived the country can stop the import of salt.