Sri Lankan Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen inaugurated first of the Mini Factories under 150 Mini Apparel Factories Program by his Ministry in a Srilankan Menik Farm Village, one time Sri Lankan refugee displacement village.

As part of a new US $ 1.8 million national apparel initiative at village levels, the village has been brought back to life. The Rs 287 Mn (US $ 1.87 Mn) project aims at setting up 150 Mini Apparel Factories across the country in support of Unity government’s one million new employments program.

Sri Lanka Institute of Textile & Apparel (SLITA) under Minister Bathiudeen is tasked with the project which seeks to bring 3,000 women across the country to self-employment in apparels and handlooms.

The project, is centered around 20-women strong small scale “Mini” Apparel Factories, has higher goals- to produce high quality apparels later on rather than handlooms alone and to become part of world class global apparel supply chain that Sri Lanka is reputed for.

Each factory therefore is provided with a range of high end apparel machineries that are industry standard in Sri Lanka- single needle machines, cutting tables, and even button-hole machines.

The Minister addressing more than 200 people of Menik Farm Village, located south west of Vavuniya said that reconciliation would be a distant dream without provision of proper livelihoods to IDPs and war affected.

The village was the location of former Menik Farm Displacement Camp (or simply the Menik Farm). The displacement camp had eight zones and after a four-year run, it was closed at the end of 2012 as the war too ended and all refugees were resettled. This vicinity now has a village -the Menik Farm Village.