About the project
In 2017, Gazelle Ventures Ltd, a Singapore-based company, proposed a sugarcane cultivation project in Rideemaliyadda, Sri Lanka, in partnership with the Sri Lankan company IMS Holdings (under the joint venture Bibile Sugar Industries). The US$ 152 million sugarcane project would also include a renewable energy project which would contribute 10 megawatts to the national grid using sugar cane pulp and gliricidia, and another project to produce animal feed and fertilisers. So far, however, there have no been further disclosures on the planned project and its implementation is stalled.
Local farmers, citizens and environmental groups have been sounding the alarm about the proposed projects. The large-scale sugar cane plantation threatens to displace local farmers, endangering their livelihoods and infringing upon their rights to land they had cultivated for generations. Key concerns include:
- land-grabbing: as most farmers do not have land titles, they risk losing the land that they have been cultivating for generations, as they will be either displaced or asked to cultivate sugar cane;
- lack of transparency and consultations around the proposed plantation;
- sugarcane cultivation risks encroaching into the forest reserves designated for elephants, further aggravating the human-elephant conflict;
- environmental and biodiversity impacts, including pollution of water sources, due to the heavy use of fertilizers and inadequate waste disposal;
- health risks (due to water and air pollution), including kidney failures, skin diseases and asthma;
- social tensions between sugarcane farmers and other crop farmers;
- economic dependency on sugar cane, with no land to cultivate other key crops.
About the community-led struggle
Since 2017, the Sri Lankan organization Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has been supporting the local community in resisting the proposed project through awareness-raising initiative, studies, media engagement and advocacy activities. With the support of the CRE, in 2023 CEJ produced two reports: one on the impacts of sugarcane farming in the Monaragala and Ampara districts, detailing how such practices could disrupt local ecosystems and livelihoods; and another scrutinizing Gazelle Ventures’ investments and highlighting potential risks.
In addition, CEJ also facilitated several community empowerment initiatives, including workshops, knowledge-sharing sessions, and a legal aid clinic to educate farmers about their rights and provide guidance on how to navigate legal challenges related to land ownership. The reports findings were also highlighted in five articles in local media, which helped build pressure against the project and raise awareness.
The CRE also helped establish connections between the Rideemaliyadda farmers and other communities facing similar challenges. For instance, in 2023 it organized a community exchange that brought together Sri Lankan farmers and counterparts from El Salvador, allowing them to exchange experiences, best practices and strategies for resisting similar threats. This collaboration enriched the community’s understanding of their rights and the tactics they could employ in their struggle.
As a result of CEJ’s work, local farmers gained a deeper understanding of their rights and the environmental risks of sugarcane cultivation, which allowed them to better advocate for their land rights. The successful resistance to the project not only so far has preserved the farmers’ land, but it has also instilled a renewed sense of agency and activism among community members, creating a network of activists dedicated to advocating for land rights and sustainable practice.