☕ Kahawatte Plantations & Australia's MDF Partner to Boost Specialty Coffee Exports

• Project Overview: Kahawatte Plantations PLC (KWPL) and Australia's Market Development Facility (MDF) have launched a new Coffee Processing Centre and Smallholder Farmer Network at Craighead Estate, Nawalapitiya. The initiative aims to expand Sri Lanka’s specialty coffee sector alongside established tea, rubber, and cinnamon operations. • Processing Facilities: The newly commissioned processing centre features advanced processing machinery, including a disk pulper and washer, an African huller, a flat-deck grader, a gravity separator, and a modern 1,000-square-foot drying house. • Smallholder Farmer Impact: • Supports 169 smallholder farming families, surpassing the initial target of 100 families. • Plans to expand the network to 500 smallholder farmers by 2030. • Farmers receive quality planting materials via the MJF Charitable Foundation alongside technical extension support. • Market & Export Targets: • Aims to export premium green beans to high-value international markets, including Australia. • Strategy includes in-house roasting for domestic premium consumer and business markets in Sri Lanka.