COLOMBO, August 10, 2025 (ePRESS) – Kahawatte Plantations PLC (KWPL) is moving towards full digital transformation with plans for a new ERP system, drone-based yield forecasting, and multispectral imaging. The company will also start producing biochar from tea waste as an eco-friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Since its takeover by the MJF Group in 2002, KWPL has reshaped its operations. Today, it manages 16 estates across 12,356 hectares, growing tea, rubber, cinnamon, coffee, coconut, pepper, durian, macadamia and commercial forestry.
The company’s green energy push is saving over Rs. 4 million a month through solar and hydro systems. A Rs. 120 million solar project at Imbulpitia Estate is expected to bring steady income for 20 years, with 70% of the funding coming from the MJF Charitable Foundation.
KWPL has also been a top performer in the tea market, securing over 550 top prices at weekly auctions in 2023 and 2024. Estates like Craighead, Queensberry and Kataboola often lead the mid-grown category. Specialty teas such as “Rilagala Curls (Westhall)” and “Silver Green Needles” have set records at charity auctions, reaching prices of up to Rs. 1.6 million per lot.
In a first for Sri Lanka’s plantation sector, KWPL is working with the Industrial Technology Institute to commercialize Pentadesma Butter, also known as Kpangnan Butter, from a once-overlooked fruit. The move puts the company at the forefront of natural product innovation.
The group has also launched the One Earth Climate Research Centre at Queensberry Estate – the country’s first private-sector climate adaptation research station – underlining its role in environmental science and policy.
Looking ahead, KWPL plans to turn some of its estates into tourism hubs, with projects already underway at Denawaka and Imbulpitia.
