Marketing Lanka’s vein graphite

Marketing Lanka’s vein graphite
Dr. Prashan Francis, Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI)

Sri Lanka is famous throughout the world for its production of high purity vein graphite. During the colonial reign there was a very high demand for Sri Lankan graphite. The first part of the 20th century was the golden age for Sri Lanka’s graphite industry. Unlike, any other industry at that time graphite industry was the sole monopoly of Sri Lankan businessmen.
As such, they were capable of making huge profits from graphite. The profits made from graphite were invested in many other areas and as a result a new set of Lankan millionaires were born. Some of these names were also associated with Sri Lanka’s political endeavours.

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1	Chairman of the Kahatagaha Graphite Mine D Kalansooriya greeting a visitor
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3	Chairman, Kahatagaha Graphite Mine holding a bag of high purity graphite ready for export
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5	Women differentiate graphite chips according to their carbon content

After sometime, the demand for graphite declined and most of the small graphite mines and pits were abandoned. Only three major mines, namely; the Bogala, Kahatagaha and Ragedara are in operation at the moment.
Recently the writer along with some members of COSTI and GIZ had the opportunity to visit Kahatagaha Graphite Mine, one of the premier graphite mines of Sri Lanka. At present, this is the only graphite mine owned by the government. When compared with all other graphite mines in operation, this is of prime importance because it produces a very high percentage of super grade high purity graphite.
When we reached the mine we were greeted by the D. Kalansooriya, the present Chairman of Kahatagaha Graphite Limited. Later when we were about to go inside the mine, the facial expression of our photographer displayed confusion because he had already heard untoward stories relating to the shafts of the mine. He is a six foot tall foreign national, who had never been to an underground mine before. He was asking everyone how he could fit into the shaft or the bucket winch (hoisting system), reminding me of the preparation of King’s nominee prior to entering the tunnel made by Mahoshada Pandith, which is described in the book Ummanga Jathakaya.

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0	Hoardings indicating directions and safety information
1	Mine workers equipped with safety gear
2	Worker pushing a trolley filled with graphite
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4	Processing engineer, holding a graphite crucible made out of Kahatagaha graphite

Once inside the mine we were amazed by the protective precautions adapted by the mine authorities. Some of our team members had an unpleasant outlook for the miner’s life as a result of listening to the poems, Pathal Kavi, depicting the harsh conditions faced by the early miners. Early miners recited these poems to get some sort of relief and enjoyment during the long hours of work. Those team members could not believe their eyes when they encountered the real scenario. Everywhere inside the mine there were notices and hoardings indicating directions and other safety instructions.
In addition, all the workers were dressed in clean uniforms; equipped with hard hat and boots. Some even wore gloves and masks as a safety precaution while carrying out the work entrusted to them. All hard hats were fitted with LED flashlights, which are very light compared to the heavy battery operated flashlights used earlier.
Once the recovery is high the profit becomes greater. The most noteworthy quality of these mine workers is the pride they have for their occupation. They are masters in their trade; capable of detecting graphite veins by instinct. According to the information, until the recent times the mine did not have diamond drilling machines, yet the mine was able to make profits, mostly due to the worker’s talents. Workers are used to promptly discover graphite veins by using their experiences. Now the scenario is different and the company has diamond drilling machines to explore for more veins in low levels resorting to new technology. When the company finds new veins its recovery also increases.
We also observed that most of the middle executives like technical and mineral processing staff were youths just out of university. Very often this is not the case in other organizations. These people are highly talented and respect their professions. They are passionate to bring about an appreciable improvement to the mine as well as to the graphite industry of Sri Lanka. It was a very bold step taken by the chairman of this company to rely on these fresh graduates and now he can be fully satisfied about his decision because the mine is now rapidly improving. This may be a small step forward for the time being, but it would surely be an increase by leaps and bounds in time to come. It is quite appropriate that people trained with modern technology to be provided with an opportunity to mix with people having long years of experience. Soon the graphite mine as well as the country may be able to reap the benefits.

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(My sincere appreciation goes to COSTI, GIZ and D. Kalansooriya, Chairman, Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka Ltd.)
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