දිනපතා සත්ය කරුණු දැන ගැනීමට අපගේ WhatsApp චැනලයටමෙතනින් එකතුවන්න.
Recently, social media was abuzz with claims that the Ceylon Brown Sugar Outlet of Lanka Sugar in Nugegoda was closed down, only months after its inauguration. But what really happened? Let’s look at the viral claims first.
Social Media Posts :
The posts claimed that the Ceylon Golden Brown Sugar Outlet of Lanka Sugar (PVT) Ltd., which operates under the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, had been closed due to a shortage of supplies to meet demand.
Based on the post, many people believed that the outlet had been permanently closed and shared it further.
Meanwhile, a video showing the area near the Ceylon Brown Sugar Outlet was also shared on Facebook. In the video, it is claimed that the outlet had been closed.
Below are some of the other posts, which went viral with the same narrative.
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We decided to carry out a fact check on the matter.
Fact Check :
To check whether the Nugegoda brown sugar retail outlet had been closed, we first contacted the store by phone on 2nd February. An employee of the outlet said the store has not closed and was open today (02) as usual.
The Brown Sugar outlet also shared photos and videos, as shown below, confirming that the Nugegoda brown sugar outlet is open.
Meanwhile, several reputable media outlets, quoting this statement, reported on their websites that the information circulating on social media was false. They also confirmed that the Nugegoda Ceylon brown sugar outlet has not been closed, as seen here.
Statement from Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt) Ltd
Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt) Ltd had also issued a statement saying that social media claims about the Nugegoda retail store being closed are false.
The statement said that the store was temporarily closed last Saturday (31st January) because the only sales staff member who was on duty that day had fallen ill. The store remained closed the following day (Sunday, 1st of February) as well, since it was Poya day, which had been the usual practice. However, the outlet is usually open on Sundays, which are public holidays such as Poya days, as per the clarification.
The statement mentioned the regular opening hours of the store, which are 9 am to 7 pm from Monday to Saturday, and 9 am to 2 pm on Sundays, barring public holidays, as seen below.
Chairperson of Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt) Ltd
To further verify the situation at the Nugegoda brown sugar store, we contacted the Chairperson of Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt) Ltd, Ms Sandamali Chandrasekara, by phone.
She said the social media posts claiming that the store had been closed are false. explaining that several staff members work at the store, but only one staff member works on weekends.
Accordingly, last Saturday, the store had to be closed temporarily because the sales staff on duty had suddenly fallen ill.
The Chairperson also rejected claims that supply is insufficient to meet demand. She said the store is operating profitably and that the company’s products are also sold through Milkco outlets located across the country.
Golden Brown Sugar Outlet in Nugegoda was opened in late 2025
The Brown Sugar store outlet in Nugegoda, operated under the Lanka Sugar Company, was opened on November 11th, 2025, under the leadership of Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunnetthi.
Meanwhile, on November 21, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe stated in Parliament that within a short period of about nine days after the brown sugar store was opened, its sales had exceeded Rs. 8 million.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation shows that social media posts claiming the Nugegoda brown sugar outlet, operated under the Lanka Sugar Company, has been closed down are completely false. These claims went viral as the store was temporarily closed last Saturday (31st) after a staff member had suddenly fallen ill, and the subsequent day was a public holiday. The outlet continues to operate on all working days.
Title:Nugegoda brown sugar outlet was closed down? Find out the truth…
Fact Check By: Sagarika ChathumaliResult: False
