Sri Lanka, Sept. 17 -- Ethugalpura in the North Western Province (NWP) has two administrative districts, namely Kurunegala and Puttalam, in an extent of 7,888.2 square kilometres. This is 12 percent of the total extent of the island.

The NWP has four main waterways - Mee Oya, Deduru Oya, Maha Oya and Kala Oya. The NWP is the third-largest agricultural land in the country. Paddy is cultivated in two seasons - Yala and Maha. Kurunegala is the leading paddy-producing district in Sri Lanka. The chena cultivation is also a prominent money-making industry in the NWP.

The economy of the NWP is mainly based on industries associated with coconut cultivation. Of them, the coir industry takes a prominent place. Coir dust, which is exported mainly ...