The head office will be opened by the President in Karandeniya, Galle.

• If the country is not moved forward through a correct economic system, the gains will be lost.
• Cinnamon cultivation will be improved in the country and the export economy will be strengthened - President.

Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe stated that if the country is not moved forward through a correct economic system, the gains made will be lost again, and that some people are making various statements to destroy the country's economy, Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe emphasized that if the false propaganda is caught, the country's economy will collapse once again.

The President mentioned this while attending the opening of the main office of the Cinnamon Development Department built in Galle Karandeniya area yesterday (10) afternoon.

For the first time in this country, the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickramasinghe in the 2023 budget to establish a new department called the Cinnamon Development Department was opened in Melasa.

The official website of the Cinnamon Development Department was also launched by President Ranil Wickramasinghe.

The ten-year road map prepared for the promotion of the cinnamon industry and the "Cinnamon Handbook" technical publication prepared in relation to cinnamon cultivation were also presented to the President.

The awarding of GAP and GI certificates to the selected cinnamon entrepreneurs was also done by President Ranil Wickramasinghe.

Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who spoke further, said:

After 200 years, we are starting the Cinnamon Development Department again. With that, the work of developing cinnamon cultivation in the country has started again. The responsibility of this department is to develop cinnamon cultivation again in the country. The first step is to increase the production of cinnamon. There, maximum productivity should be obtained from each acre. Also, quality cinnamon should be grown without inferior cinnamon.

Also, the area under cinnamon cultivation should be increased. The government is proposing to provide new land and cultivate cinnamon along with other crops on their land. With this step, cinnamon production can be increased three to four times.

And the sale of cinnamon should be increased. If there is no market, there is no point in increasing the production. Therefore, steps can be taken to provide local and foreign advice to increase sales. If the companies accept that responsibility, the government expects to support them.

Therefore, we should move forward by taking new market opportunities. We hope to make this institute a cinnamon development center in this area. Instead of the old system, the work should be carried forward with the modern system. Looking at it this way, we have reached the past in search of the future.

The main reason for the bankruptcy of our country was to stay in an import economy. We took huge loans for imports. With the correct economic policies we have implemented, today we have been able to free ourselves from bankruptcy. Also, about 08 billion dollars have been reduced from the debt we had to pay and we have been given time to pay the debt until 2043. If we do not move to an export economy, our country's economy will collapse again in another 15 years. If so, we should quickly move to a new economic system. There we have to earn foreign exchange through an export economy.

That day we gave cinnamon to the world. Now we must return to it. Cinnamon was grown from Puttalam to Hambantota in those days. We have to resume those activities according to a plan. We are also working to get new investments in the industry including information technology.

Needless to say, the situation in the country two years ago. Some people said that this country cannot be recovered. I came to power with a vengeance and said. Now somehow we have recovered the country. If we do not move in the right direction, this victory may slip from our hands. We have now shown the way to move this country forward. Different people say different things. Various celestial promises are given. But we have to focus on protecting the country's victory and moving forward. Therefore, if we continue on this right path for another 10 years, we have the opportunity to develop without any problems.

Industry and Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana,

I would like to thank President Ranil Wickramasinghe for establishing the Cinnamon Development Department in an area where more cinnamon is grown. Sri Lankan cinnamon has a special place in the world market. There is a great demand for Sri Lankan cinnamon in Latin American countries as well as in Mexico. Most of that cinnamon is re-exported to America. Most of the people do not know that the cassia crop, which is used instead of cinnamon in the world, is carcinogenic. Therefore, with the right marketing, Sri Lankan cinnamon can get more value.

Minister of Agriculture and Horticulture Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera,

The Cinnamon Development Department is making history as the first department to emerge in the Southern Province as an institution of the Ministry of Industry. This department will work to provide the modern technical knowledge required for cinnamon cultivation. It is also hoped to expand the cultivation of cinnamon by introducing a new amount of cultivation land.

Farmers in Hambantota district are willing to cultivate turmeric. This can reduce the dangers caused by wild elephants. We should work to provide good cinnamon to the world by informing the world about the monopoly and carcinogenicity of cassia. It has the potential to earn a lot of foreign exchange.

Two years ago, without fertilizer, farmers left their farmlands and came to the highway. But after getting the presidency Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe worked to get fertilizer based on his foreign relations. Because of that program, it has been possible to produce the entire amount of rice required for Sri Lanka's consumption today. As a whole, President Ranil Wickremesinghe was able to bring the economy of Sri Lanka to a better path.

Ministers of State Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, DB Herath, Members of Parliament Vajira Abeywardena, Sampath Athukorala and other public representatives of the province, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunga, Director General of Kurundu Development Department Mr. Janaka Lindara and others attended this event.