Looking for acquisitions and Joint Ventures overseas
To engage in coffee exports to Australia, USA and India
Hatton Plantations PLC is making an aggressive push towards adding more coffee to their plantations sector and is also looking at investing in the Kenyan tea sector, said its Chairman Gary Seaton.
“We are looking for acquisitions and Joint Ventures in both tea and coffee segments in Kenya and have the investment for it.”
He said that they ventured into the coffee plantation sector three years ago and have now completed 100 hectares. “We will be adding 400 more hectares in the next three years as we find it easier to manage it and the segment also brings in more revenue over tea.”
Seaton who is also the chairman of G&G Group of Companies, Singapore said they hope to locally market their coffee by 2026 and engage in exports mainly to Australia, USA and India from 2030.”
“We have our own Coffee plant nursery and hope to increase our investment from the current Rs. 200 million to Rs. 1 billion in the next three years.”
Hatton Plantations have 13 estates covering a total area of 7,206 hectares in the Central regions and is the highest producer amongst all the Regional Plantation Companies, (RPC) having sold a quantity of 6,484,037.50 kgs with an average of Rs. 1,134.11 for the year 2024.
“In a bid to strengthen this sector we have replanted over 175 hectares and are using modern USA based technology such as drones to map tea plantations and to spray fertilizer.”
He also said that plantation companies are waiting for clarity from the government with regard to the lease agreement of RPC’s which ends in 2045. “we like this lease to be extended for another 50 years under the present conditions. Most of the PRC’s including us are also ready to purchase these estates outright from the government creating an additional capital base for the state coffers.”
CEO G&G Group of Companies, Singapore, Gowri Shankar said that the plantations made a profit of Rs. 1.2 billion in 2023 and it will increase to Rs. 1.35 billion in 2024.
CEO & MD Hatton Plantations PLC, Menaka Athukorala said that Hatton Plantation have over 3,425 staff, mainly female carders of over 60% and have several CSR projects towards their welfare. Hatton Plantations have also built several field toilets in their tea plantations for the use of tea pluckers and is the first RPC to do so.
In a bid to woo worker’s children to the plantation sector or divert them to other sectors they have launched several vocational training centers including one for tourism to feed their leisure sector projects under the Mandira brand where colonial plantation bungalows are converted for the leisure sector.
