Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
A high end Israeli Trade delegation consisting of approx. 25 delegates from diverse sectors such as agriculture, dairy, the high tech industry, defence, insurance and water management sectors is currently visiting Sri Lanka in order to explore potential scope for collaboration between the two countries. The trade delegation which arrived on 26th August is led by Ambassador Sarath Wijesinghe, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel.
The objective of organizing the visit by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Israel with the assistance of the Export Development Board, the Chambers of Commerce and the Israel –Asia Chamber of Commerce in Israel was to highlight Sri Lanka’s comparative advantages as well as the variety of investment incentives available in the priority sectors of the Sri Lankan economy. This visit is also timely since there has been considerable growth in bilateral economic relations between Sri Lanka and Israel with trade doubling to US $ 158.35 million last year.
The delegation of Sri Lanka is interested in export of certain Belarusian goods such as sugar, tires and oil products. The heads of the states agreed on setting up joint ventures.
Joel Selvanayagam, the chair of the group of companies (Sri Lanka): "We have enormous potential and technologies. By uniting them we can advance our economies".
In accordance with the popular slogan “Come September Come Facets” the 23rd version of Sri Lanka’s premier International Gem & Jewelry Show, Facets 2013, eagerly awaited by all stakeholders in the international gem and jewelry trade and industry, is due to be held from August 29th to September 1st, 2013, at the usual venue, the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition and Convention Centre, part of the complex of buildings associated with the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), situated along Bullers Road, Colombo. The show is organized by the Sri Lanka Gem & Jewelry Association (SLGJA) and co-sponsored by the National Gem & Jewelry Authority (NGJA) of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB) .
The show will be held in the two large octagonal-shaped convention halls of the exhibition center, the main hall being reserved for the display of precious and semi-precious gems and the second hall allocated to jewelry, lapidary and other machinery used in the gem and jewelry industry. Around 200 exhibitors both local and foreign are due to be accomodated in both halls. The ceremonial opening of the show will be held at 9.00 a.m. on August 29, 2013 and the show will be open to visitors from 9.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on August 29, and on the remaining three days August 30 to September 1, from 10.00 am to 6.00 p.m
Belarus, world’s third largest potash power and an industry driven economy with a GDP equal to Sri Lanka, is bullish on Sri Lanka’s trade, B2B and more importantly, in its industries. And Belarus is gearing towards partnering in the kick-start of Sri Lanka’s crucial agro-automotive industry.
“46% of our GDP is industries! We have carefully studied about Sri Lanka’s economic and industrial zones and please tell us more about your 26 industrial zones that aroused our interest!” declared an eager (HE) Vitaly Prima (the New Delhi based Ambassador of Belarus to Sri Lanka) on 06 August in Colombo.
Prima, who is currently leading a 14 member trade and business delegation to Sri Lanka, was addressing Rishad Bathiudeen (Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka) at Minister Bathiudeen’s Industry and Commerce Ministry on 06 August during his delegation’s meeting with Minister Bathiudeen.
Sri Lanka’s non-BoI apparel exporters have been now integrated to the crucial global network called Asycuda World (of UNCTAD). And having overcome the global recession, our apparel exports are now back on track-with good news. “Today, Sri Lanka’s apparel sector is entering into a new phase.
As a result of Sri Lanka’s non-BoI apparel manufacturers directly integrating into the online ‘Asycuda World’ system, we have now cleared a major bottleneck in our apparel exports” announced Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce on 30 July in Colombo. Minister Bathiudeen was addressing the implementation event of the Asycuda World export documentation system for non-BoI apparel exporters held 30 July at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
