2015-02-06
Sri Lanka’s footwear and leather exports have doubled within a short period of one year and posted the highest revenues so far in recent times-and the sector lauds praise on the Industry and Commerce Minister for the provision of first modern tannery complex for them, as reported on 06 February.
2015-02-02
The seventh edition of Footwear and Leather Fair Exhibition organized by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in association with Sri Lanka Export Development Board will be held from February, 6 - 8, 2015 at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Centre –BMICH.
2015-01-22
Sri Lankan tea (known for generations as Ceylon Tea) carries behind it a heritage and success story like no other. The story of Ceylon tea begins over two hundred years ago, when the country was still a British colony. In 1824 a tea plant was brought to Ceylon by the British from China and was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya for non-commercial purposes. Further experimental planting of tea had begun in 1839 with tea plants brought from Assam and Calcutta through the East India Company.
Commercial cultivation of tea commenced in Sri Lanka by the Scotsman, James Taylor. He arrived Sri Lanka in 1852 and settled down in Loolecondera estate in Kandy. Taylor visited India in 1866 to learn the basics of growing tea on plantations. Following his return, he started a 19 acre tea plantation in Loolecondera estate in 1867. Soon enough plantations surrounding Loolecondera such as Hope, Rookwood and Mooloya began transforming into tea plantations and were amongst the first tea estates established on the island. Taylor started a fully equipped tea factory in Loolecondera estate in 1872. In 1875 Taylor managed to send the first shipment of Ceylon tea to London tea auction.
2015-01-21
The Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF), the most comprehensive and ‘looked forward to’ exhibition in the North will be held for the sixth consecutive year in the heart of Jaffna from the 23rd- 25th of January 2015..
2015-01-15
As bilateral trade topped $ 3Bn, Sri Lanka’s exports sector is readying one of the strongest ever delegations to this year’s Kunming international expo while Lanka’s second largest global supplier voiced that it is increasingly upbeat on the prospective FTA between both countries-and the $ 190 Bn Yunnan province is keen for a Corporate Agreement with Lanka’s apex export entity, a first, as revealed on 13 January.
2014-12-31
Sri Lanka’s January–November exports have notched $10.1 Bn driven by 'across the board' surge and specifically led by apparel and industrial products and the crucial apparel volumes appear to be almost on its annual earnings target. “Several sub sectors including apparel and fishery have delivered and sustained our year on year growth” said Bandula Egodage, Chairman & CEO of EDB on 30 December.
EDB Chairman Egodage was commenting on the provisional top-line export data presented to him by his Directors in Colombo on 30 December at EDB..
2014-12-29
Established over 25 years, Gulfood has a well deserved reputation amongst the exporters for delivering spectacular return on investment. While being the Middle East’s leading exhibition dedicated to the food service and hospitality sectors, Gulfood is also the most influential annual Food and Hospitality show in the world. For the exporters seeking new sales from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Gulfood provides a trade and sourcing platform without equal, where international flavours find world-class business. With the record participation by the global companies, Gulfood is the metaphorical birthplace for a massive number of international business opportunities. Gulfood 2015 is scheduled to be held from 8th to 12th of February, 2015 in Dubai, UAE.
2014-12-03
The value of Sri Lanka’s total apparel exports for the first 11 months last year reached US$ 4302.4 million, registering 11% per cent growth. In 2013, Apparel exports had generated US$ 3876 million during the period January to November.
2014-11-27
As both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka moved closer to their historic trade pact, the process took a new turn as a keen Bangladeshi private sector itself stepping in to accelerate it on 27 November, a rare development in an on-going Lankan trade negotiations-and bilateral trade between both countries has jumped by a strong 67%.
“I will meet our Commerce Minister who is very well meaning and serious, and inform him to expedite the FTA process” said Mahbubur Rahman (President, International Chamber of Commerce of Bangladesh ICCB) on Thursday (27) in Colombo. ICCB President Rahman was addressing Rishad Bathiudeen.
2014-11-14
The storied iconic brands in the fashion industry, say, Nike, Diesel, Victoria’s Secrets, Mark & Spencer, H & M, GAP, NEXT, Levi’s among many others that are synonymous with exceptional fashion clothing rely on Sri Lanka as their topmost Apparel Sourcing Destination. Sri Lankan Apparel Exports mainly include Casual Wear, Fashion Wear, Intimate Wear, Swim Wear, Sports Wear, Uniform & Workwear and Children's Wear.
Thanks to an abundance of trainable and skilled labour force, technology infrastructure and visionary leadership, Sri Lankan Apparel industry has seen rapid growth and earned the trust and loyalty from the world leading Fashion brands that are unblinkingly strict about quality and socially compliant manufacturing practices.
Amidst a number of countries that export apparel, Sri Lanka enjoys a privileged position as a prime sourcing destination for garments without guilt. At the heart of this phenomenal success lies the philosophy that ‘Ethical Business is not a practice but a way of life’. The official website of Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) proclaims “We take pride in saying that Ethical Business Practices and Responsible Commerce at Sri Lanka's Apparel Industry are not a response to increasing need and demand for 'Ethical Products' and satisfy Business Compliance, but has been a Way of Life for last 30 years across the 350 plants and over 1 Million strong workforce.”
2014-11-14
The delicious aroma that emanates as a few spoonfuls of Ceylon tea hit the simmering water in the white jug patterned with tea-buds every morning is refreshing forever. A sip of the steaming cup feels great on the tongue tickling the taste-buds. A great aroma with a fabulous taste, Ceylon Tea is beyond compare. Whether it’s in the morning or in the evening, a hot cup of tea is always a delectable drink.
But, as the Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura’s 1906 philosophical treatise on tea says, tea had been a medicine long before it became a beverage. The potent natural antioxidants that abound in green & black tea can protect regular tea drinkers from a number of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
Continual consumption of correctly brewed Ceylon Tea is known to decrease the oxidation of fat. Catechins in green tea, theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea can inhibit lipid oxidation and plaque formation (which can cause heart disease), whilst cutting cholesterol. Regular consumption of tea is also known to reduce blood clotting. Blood clotting heightens the risk of coronary thrombosis.
2014-09-30
Head of the Maldivian delegation Quasim Ibrahim addressing business entrepreneurs at the Maldives-Sri Lanka interactive business session on Tuesday said that the Maldives and Sri Lanka had been enjoying a unique friendship born of traditional ties in ethnicity, language and culture. These bonds signified historical ties that date back hundreds of years. The relationship had been served well by geographic proximity, frequent travel and brisk trade.
The session was organized by the Sri-Lanka Maldives Bilateral Business Council in association with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and was held at the Hilton.
2014-09-10
The International Colored Gem Stones Congress(ICA), the sole global think-tank which serves to benefit the colored gemstone industries have chosen Sri Lanka as its host country for its 16th congress to be held in May 16th - 19th, 2015 in Colombo at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
This is the second time that Sri Lanka will be hosting the prestigious ICA event which prides itself for uniting various segments of the colored gem trade. The theme for the event is `Sapphire and MORE`. A `Facets Congress Gem Show` will also be held from May 15th to 18th at same venue.
2014-08-14
The Plastic and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka CEO Forum recently mooted ideas for improving plastic and rubber industries in Sri Lanka.
While quality adding has been long discussed topic of improvement, it was discussed that branding Sri Lankan rubber will give Sri Lankan rubber a significant boost.
Chairman and CEO of the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka, Bandula Egodage, who attended the event said rubber is one of the chief exports in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka's rank in the contribution of rubber exported globally is 32% . However, he also said Sri Lanka's solid tyres rank at the first place in exports, which is a clear indication that there is a market for value added goods rather than just the raw form.
2014-08-12
The North Western Provincial office of the SLEDB, successfully conducted the awareness seminar/workshop on Ornamental Fish for the export Market on 12th August 2014 in the auditorium of District Secretariat-Kurunegala with the participation of 110 export oriented Ornamental Fish farmers in North Western & North Central Provinces. The programme was organized by the NWP-EDB with the assistance of National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA).
The main objective of conducting this programme is to increase the capacity of export oriented ornamental fish farmers in the region by way of enhancing Technical/Market awareness and facilitating linkages between farmers and exporters in order to develop consolidated supply base of quality ornamental fish for exports.
2014-08-07
Relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka are fast developing, and two-way trade between the countries has grown by nearly 100 percent during the last three years, Vietnamese Ambassador to Colombo Ton Sinh Thanh said.
He added the two-way trade over the past three years has been increasing by around 30 percent per year, the highest rate among Vietnam's trade with other South Asian countries. He made these revelation at the opening of the first-ever Sri Lanka Vietnam business center in Kelaniya, a venture promoted by the APL Group of Companies. Ambassador Thanh identified the new center as an important landmark in the economic relations between the two countries.
2014-08-06
FACETS Sri Lanka 2014, the prestigious International Gem and Jewellery Show that showcases hundreds of local and foreign exhibitors, will be held from 4th - 7th September at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre.
This year’s exhibition will comprise over 150 booths with a variety of Gem and Jewellery that include precious and semiprecious gems.
2014-07-29
Sri Lanka has been selected to host one of the world’s leading conferences on natural rubber Global Rubber Conference (GRC) 2014.
The three-day international event will be held from 27 to 30 October 2014 at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo.
Global Rubber Conference 2014 themed “Sowing the Seeds for Sustainable Future” is expected to bring together over 700 experts and delegates representing over 25 countries.
2014-07-23
In 2001, economist Jim O’Neill famously coined the term ‘BRIC’ to refer to the newly emerging economies of Brazil, Russian, India, and China. In 2014 O’Neill has now popularized a newer and what the BBC calls ‘fresher’ term – MINT – Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey (put forward by Fidelity Investments).
In a time where many developed nations are facing a crisis with regard to their ageing population, what makes MINT stand out, according to O’Neill, are their favourable demographic statistics. Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey are four of the world’s most heavily populated emerging economies, with populations of 118, 237, 174 and 73 million respectively. To add to that in the next 20 years all four countries will see a rise in the number of economically active workers to inactive - meaning they will have a declining dependency ratio. What this will do is ease the burden off the government. In recent years an increasing dependency ratio has plagued countries from the UK to Japan, putting pressure on government budgets and the shrinking work force. Thus the demographics of MINT will certainly be a source of envy for their more developed counterparts.
2014-07-01
The EDB recently held a workshop in Batticaloa to introduce the Fair Trade Concept to the Craft sector in the Eastern Province. The workshop was attended by around 40 participants representing giftware, lifestyle and handloom products. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Paul Myers, Expert on Fair Trade from U.S.A and there was a lot of interest shown by the companies /individuals present.
