Bringing international recognition to Sri Lanka’s dairy industry, Pelwatte Dairy Industries Founder Chairman Ariyaseela Wickramanayake has been named among ‘Asia’s Greatest Brands & Leaders 2026’, in recognition of his contribution towards building a strong local dairy sector and empowering rural dairy farmers.

The recognition was conferred by AsiaOne Magazine, a leading international business and news publication focusing on leadership, brands, and policy developments across Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

The 27th AsiaOne ASEAN Summit and the ‘Asia’s Greatest Leaders 2026’ awards ceremony will be held on June 10 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Wickramanayake said the recognition was not a personal honour, but an achievement for Sri Lanka’s entire dairy industry.

“This award sends a clear message that Sri Lanka’s dairy industry is no longer solely dependent on multinational imports, but is steadily moving towards self-sufficiency,” he said.

Recalling the origins of Pelwatte Dairy Industries, Wickramanayake said that during his time in Pelwatte he observed many farmers cultivating sugarcane were being unfairly treated by processing factories, leaving them financially distressed and facing difficulties with law enforcement authorities.

“It was mainly to support these farmers that I established Pelwatte Dairy Industries Ltd in 2006 in Buttala, Moneragala, introducing dairy farming as a sustainable livelihood.”

He said the company initially began with yoghurt production, and as farmers gained confidence in a reliable market for fresh milk, supplies increased rapidly.

“To meet the growing demand, I invested in a state-of-the-art factory and established Sri Lanka’s first spray-dried milk powder plant in 2008,” he said.

Wickramanayake revealed that during the early years of Pelwatte Dairy Industries, a senior official attached to a multinational milk powder importing company had approached him with an offer to purchase the company’s milk powder output, though the arrangement was never finalised.

“At the time, Sri Lanka was spending nearly US$ 400 million annually on milk powder imports. I strongly believed that the country had the potential to become self-sufficient in dairy production, and that vision encouraged me to continue investing in expanding our operations while introducing products such as butter and fresh milk to the market,” he said.

He noted that Pelwatte’s growth also inspired several other local entrepreneurs to enter the dairy sector, strengthening the country’s local production capacity.

“Looking back, I am proud that I was able to contribute towards reducing Sri Lanka’s dependence on multinational milk powder importers and help build a stronger local dairy industry,” he said.

Wickramanayake added that temporary import restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, along with consumer concerns surrounding the melamine controversy linked to imported milk powder, further accelerated the expansion of Sri Lanka’s local dairy industry.

“Today, I have invested close to Rs. 3 billion to establish my second milk powder processing facility in Kurunegala. This is another important step towards transforming Sri Lanka from a milk powder importing nation into a potential exporter.”

He also disclosed that he has been invited to deliver a presentation at the Asia’s Greatest Leaders 2026 awards ceremony on June 10, where Sri Lanka’s dairy industry success story will be showcased before an influential regional audience.

“This platform will highlight that Sri Lanka is not merely a consumer market, but a country capable of building globally competitive industries through local entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment,” he said.

Previous recipients of the prestigious recognition have included Asia’s second-richest businessman Mukesh Ambani, alongside several other prominent corporate leaders from across the region.