Import Promotion Desk of Germany to partner EDB

The Chairperson and Chief Executive, EDB Indira Malwatte together with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Germany had extremely fruitful discussions with officers from Import Promotion Desk (IPD), the German initiatives for import promotion of selected countries.

The IPD provides access to the EU market for small and medium sized companies from selected developing and emerging countries. With the start of the third phase of the project IPD, will add Sri Lanka to the new programme. The IPD will include three of the focused sectors of NES of Sri Lanka, natural ingredients for food, spices and spice concentrates and in the processed food sector, fruits and vegetables. The Tourism sector is added as an additional industry and this will benefit the Wellness Tourism identified in the NES.

Including Sri Lanka in the project by the Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development shows the importance and close collaboration between the Governments of Germany and Sri Lanka.

The aim is to integrate Sri Lanka into global trade and thus contribute to the sustainable economic development in Sri Lanka.

Through IPD support SME exporters will be assisted to enter the European market by connecting importers and promoting business relationships between producers and traders.

This programme will be of significant importance to the 2000 Exporter Program launched by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade and EDB to increase the exporter base and there by contribute to achieve the export growth of US$ 37.1 billion in 2025.

The implementation of the programme by IPD and EDB will benefit those in the Provinces, where there will be an expansion in the cultivation and production and where more small farmers could benefit with more contracts and will be in a position to promote production, employment and income. To quote Dr. Julia Hoffmanns, Head of IPD.