POS Bio-Sciences and Apeiron to develop essential oils facility in Sri Lanka

POS Bio-Sciences and Sri Lanka-based firm Apeiron Lanka have partnered to create a manufacturing facility for extracting high-quality, pure essential oils.

Essential oils are obtained from plant roots, seeds, flowers, leaves, and bark. They are used in food flavourings, fragrances, personal care products, air fresheners, deodorisers, pharmaceutics, massage therapy products, and feed additives. They are also used as an ingredient in insect repellents and antimicrobial products.

Apeiron Lanka's chairman and managing director Ashoka Siriwardena said: “Sri Lanka, a tropical country with ample rainfall and rich soil conditions, is blessed with valuable agricultural products of premium taste and quality.

“Our customers will benefit from the high-quality plant extract products, tailor-made by POS technologies to suit unique needs.

"We are very excited to build on this opportunity.”

The new unit will process raw materials from local farmers and employ local people. POS group's president and chief executive officer Dale Kelly said: “We are proud to be the first North American company working to establish this kind of facility in Sri Lanka.

“We see a lot of opportunity and potential here thanks to Free Trade agreements with neighboring countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

"Plus, easily accessible raw materials and access to internationally and locally owned independent testing facilities will help ensure quality products.”

The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2017.