The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) successfully organized the North Western and North Central Provinces Exporters' Networking Forum, held recently at the Nilawin Hotel & Resort in Chillaw.
The forum was convened under the patronage of Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Hon. Sunil Handunneththi, with the participation of a large number of exporters representing the North Western and North Central Provinces.
The primary objective of the forum was to enhance regional export capabilities and to establish a direct communication channel between regional exporters, government institutions, and policymakers. The forum served as a vital platform particularly for discussing prevailing challenges related to customs procedures, legal and administrative issues, and market access, while seeking practical solutions to those challenges.
Addressing the exporters at the forum, Minister Sunil Handunneththi emphasized that it is the government's expectation to resolve, at the earliest, the issues faced by exporters in order to achieve regional export growth. He further stated that this programme aims to strengthen the export sector by gathering new ideas and proposals.
A highlight of the forum was the opportunity extended to participating exporters to engage in direct discussions with representatives of key state institutions, including Sri Lanka Customs and the Inland Revenue Department. Through this engagement, the necessary foundation was laid to connect rural producers with international market linkages, and to build a more equitable export system and a stronger supply chain.
The occasion was graced by the presence of Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Hon. Sunil Handunneththi; Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Hon. A.H.M.H. Abeyratne; North Western Province Governor Tissa Kumarasiri Warnasuriya; North Western Province Chief Secretary I.M. Ilangakone; Puttalam District Secretary Y.I.M. Silva; and EDB Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mangala Wijesinghe.
In addition, representatives of several key state institutions were in attendance, including Sri Lanka Customs, the Inland Revenue Department, the Industrial Development Board, the Coconut Development Authority, the Export Agriculture Department, the Coconut Cultivation Board, the National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Commercial Banks, Sri Lanka Freight Forwarders Association and the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation. EDB officials and Export Development Officers also participated in the forum.
