Haycarb aims to plant 100,000 coconut trees in the Northern regions of Sri Lanka, including Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, and Jaffna.
This initiative is a vital part of a broader national endeavour to establish a second coconut triangle.
The commencement of Phase One took place in Iyakachchi, Jaffna, with the distribution of 25,000 coconut seedlings.
Governor of the Northern province, Honorable Mrs. P.S.M. Charles, Chairperson of the Coconut Cultivation Board, Dr. Madhavi Herath, Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority, Prof. Roshan Perera, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC, Rajitha Kariyawasan and the Haycarb PLC Board of Directors were present at a special event to commemorate the kickoff of this first phase.
The remaining 75,000 trees are to be planted in the Northern and Eastern provinces by the end of 2024.
Concurrently, Haycarb is expanding its pioneering ‘Haritha Angara’ green charcoaling initiative with the installation of 30 additional pits in 2023/24, bringing the total to 473 pits island-wide and plans to expand the total to over 500 pits by 2025.
“In the five decades of our legacy, Haycarb has worked extensively in developing and manufacturing premium quality coconut shell based activated carbons to suit a wide range of application segments globally, that include water and air purification, gold extraction and many other speciality applications.
Our recent technological drive to develop activated carbons for the Energy Storage segment encompassing both mobile and stationary power and energy applications stand out as a key innovative drive, embracing sustainability principles as a core value in the company progression”,” Haycarb PLC Managing Director, Rajitha Kariyawasan said.
“Moving forward, we see a great growth potential in the activated carbon market, for which we require a much greater supply of coconut charcoal.
We are pleased to join hands with the Coconut Development Authority and the Coconut Cultivation Board to engage in this sustainable coconut farming project.
This will support the demand for coconut shells in the country while reducing dependence on imported charcoal and channel direct financial support into livelihood development for approximately 300 farmers, creating over 1,000 indirect jobs,” he said.
Launched in 2014 with the aim of introducing eco-friendly charcoaling practices to local suppliers, the "Haritha Angara" initiative encourages local suppliers to convert their traditional open pit charcoaling sites to environment-friendly closed pits using technology, training and expertise developed by the Haycarb team.
This in turn eliminates the release of harmful gaseous emissions such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), Methane and smoke to the environment, which are otherwise emitted during the process.
“With the continuing expansion of Haritha Angara and our green charcoaling technology, we have sought to include families at the grassroots of the Sri Lankan economy into our sustainable value chains, connecting them to global customers around the world.
We aim to ensure 100% eco-friendly supply on all of our raw materials by 2025,” Kariyawasan explained.
Haycarb, as the pioneer manufacturer of coconut shell activated carbon, operates globally, with manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia, supported by marketing offices in the USA, UK, and Australia.
The company continues to make significant contributions to foreign exchange revenues and remains a leader in environmentally responsible manufacturing practices.