The history of cinnamon dates back as far as 1400 B.C., with the first reference to Ceylon cinnamon found in the late tenth-century book “Aja’ib al-Hind” by Burzug ibn Shahriyar. Portuguese historian Diogo do Couto noted that during the reign of the Great Parakramabahu, King of Sri Lanka (1236 – 1270 A.D.), the island was already renowned for its fine quality and abundance of cinnamon.
The Dutch initiated the systematic cultivation of cinnamon in Sri Lanka, which until then had been harvested from the wild. Between 1765 and 1785, Dutch governor Iman Willem Falck began experimental cultivation in Colombo. These efforts debunked the belief that cinnamon could not be commercially cultivated, leading subsequent rulers, including the English, to expand commercial cinnamon plantations. By 1799, British Governor Frederick North had secured prime cinnamon lands in Colombo and Negombo. By 1850, Sri Lanka boasted approximately 40,000 acres of cinnamon plantations.
Despite this early success, the Ceylon cinnamon industry received minimal government support before and after Sri Lanka’s independence. Initially managed under the Department of Minor Export Crops, it later fell under the Department of Export Agriculture, which provided research and development (R&D) support for cinnamon. The National Cinnamon Research and Training Centre was subsequently established in Thihagoda, Matara, with extension and development services offered through the district offices of the Department of Export Agriculture.
By 2022, under government support, the cinnamon industry had grown significantly, with Sri Lanka exporting 18,300 metric tons of cinnamon products worth 71,716 million Rs from 36,506 hectares of land.
Recognizing the great importance and high potential of cinnamon, akin to Sri Lanka’s major export crops, the government established the Department of Cinnamon Development in 2023. This new authority governs all aspects of cinnamon industry research, development, administration, and legal matters, with a long-term and sustainable vision to grow the cinnamon industry in collaboration with other stakeholders.