Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports decreased by 8.06 % to US$ 1,005.2 Million in February 2023 compared to February 2022 as per the data released by the Sri Lanka Customs. However, it is a 5.62% increase when compared to February 2021.
The official delegation from the Department for International Trade in the UK visited the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) on 16th March 2023 to discuss the opportunities for Sri Lanka’s export sector under Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) to be launched by the Government of UK. Ms. Sofie Kinsey, Trade Preferences Policy Manager for Sri Lanka, Mr. Fabian Hartwell, Overseas Trade Policy Advisor for South Asia, and Ms. Asanthi Fernando, Deputy Head of Trade & Investment at the British High Commission in Colombo participated in the discussions at the EDB with the objective of identifying potential export sectors for Sri Lanka to expand in the UK market utilizing the UK DCTS.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) recently conducted an awareness seminar on “Facilitation of agricultural exporters under the Temporary Import for Export Processing (TIEP) Scheme”with the participation of 85 export companies from the agricultural sector.
Sri Lanka is globally known as an emerging destination for IT and IT enabled services. ICT/BPM industry is in the front line of the export earning sectors in Sri Lanka and achieved this position in a shorter period of time when compared with other traditional export sectors. One of the reasons for this development is that Sri Lanka has an important resource than any other country – the talent.
A delegation from Sri Lanka participated in the BIOFACH Trade Fair, the world’s largest annual organic food products trade show held from 14-17 February 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany. This annual trade fair held since 1990 attracts food industry professionals from across the world. This year, 2,765 exhibitors from 95 countries participated in the trade fair. The fair was also attended by 36,000 trade visitors from 135 countries. Germany is one of the largest organic food markets in the world and BIOFACH figures show that the organic sector recorded revenues of €15.3 billion for the German organic market in 2022. In Europe, Germany is the largest market for organic products as well as the largest organic producer. In addition, veganism is increasingly popular in Germany creating export opportunities for meat and dairy substitutes as well as breakfast foods.
Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports decreased by 8.98 % to US$ 1,001.9 Million in January 2023 compared to January 2022 as per the data released by the Sri Lanka Customs. However, it is a 6.97% increase when compared to January 2021
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Printcare Digital Solutions Pvt Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s leading printing and packaging solutions providers.
Sri Lanka is well known for its technology enabled services. Despite being a small country in South Asia, the tech innovations of the country is chosen by many global clients as their technology partner or offshore service delivery destination. Along with the global reputation of being the “Island of Ingenuity” and with the enormous opportunities created by the brand image, Sri Lankan ICT/BPM companies are expanding their horizons in global marketplace.
A high-level business Delegation from the Sverdlovsk Regional Government of Russian Federation visited Sri Lanka for a three-day programme from 23rd to 26th January 2023. Mr. Vladimir Smirnov, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Sverdlovsk Region led the Business delegation which included prominent business leaders from the Region.
Earnings from the merchandise exports decreased by 9.7 % y-o-y to US$ 1,044 Mn in December 2022 as per the data released by the Sri Lanka Customs. This was mainly due to the decrease in export earnings from Apparel & Textiles, Tea, Rubber based Products, and Coconut based Products, Food & Beverages, Spices & Essential Oils and Fisheries products.
Sri Lanka Export Development Board presents its flagship statistical publication “Export Performance Indicators 2021”. The latest edition provides statistical information related to Sri Lanka’s external trade and its contribution to major economic indicators such as trade balance, GDP and individual sectoral involvement for the year 2021 and five preceding years.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) which operates under the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland on 22nd December 2022.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) ceremoniously launched Ceylon Cinnamon Geographical Indication (GI) Control Plan Guidance books at Ramada Hotel on 8th December. The financial assistance for the publication was provided by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Union (EU).
Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Vietnam arranged the first-ever participation of Sri Lankan businesses at the 20th edition of Viet Nam Expo, which was held from 1st to 3rd December 2022 at Sai Gon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), in association with the Import Promotion Desk (IPD), Germany, successfully concluded a series of initiatives that fostered a new set of exporters to the nation’s economy.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) won the bronze award under the statutory Board category during the Best Annual Report & Accounts Awards-2022, organized by the Association of Public Finance Accountants of Sri Lanka (APFASL), which is the public wing of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka). This annual event recognizes and honours public sector institutions that demonstrate high-quality financial reporting.
Earnings from the merchandise exports decreased by 8.18 % y-o-y to US$ 1,094.8 Mn in October 2022 as per the data released by the Sri Lanka Customs. This was mainly due to the decrease in export earnings from Apparel & Textiles, Tea, Rubber based Products, Coconut based Products, Spices & Essential Oils and Fisheries sector. Further, the impact of global crisis also affecting to decrease export earnings of major products.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with the University of Moratuwa, the National Center for Non-Destructive Testing (NCNDT) - Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board, and Foundry Development and Services Institute (FDSI) successfully completed the workshop on Opto-mechanics and Introduction to Non-destructive Testing Methods at NCNDT premises in Kelaniya on 26th October. The workshop was concluded successfully with the participation of over 50 technical personnel from some of the leading manufacturing and exporting companies in Sri Lanka.
The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce (AHK) in Sri Lanka, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) co-organized a capacity building program for officials of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in preparation for the forthcoming “German Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains which will come into force in Germany from 1st January 2023. The objective of this is to train EDB officials function as multipliers to share the information on sustainable supply chains with the Sri Lankan SME’s, aiming at exporting to the German market.
The Government under its Interim budget 2022 has identified Packaging for value addition and for minimizing postharvest losses as a priority and wanted the EDB to reactivate the National Packaging Centre to address the need for promoting the packaging Industry, especially the local packaging products of the SME sector in the country. The way forward was discussed at a meeting chaired by the Senior Additional Secretary to the President (Economic Affairs), held on 28th September 2022 at the Presidential Secretariat, to implement proposal Number 32 of the interim budget 2022 on promotion of local packaging products.
