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Government of Sri Lanka
NATIONAL EXPORT STRATEGY
OF SRI LANKATRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY 2018-2022
The National Export Strategy (NES) of Sri Lanka is an official document of the Government of Sri Lanka
For any queries about the NES, please contact :
Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade
Address: Level 30, West Tower, World Trade Centre, Colombo 01.Phone : +94 (0) 112337629Phone : +94 (0)112337627 E-mail : [email protected]
Sri Lanka Export Development Board
Address: No. 42 Nawam Mawatha, Colombo-02, Sri Lanka.Phone : +94-11-230-0705 / 11Phone : +94-11-230-0715E-mail : [email protected]
This Trade Information and Promotion Strategy was developed on the basis of the process, methodology and technical assistance of the International Trade Centre (ITC) within the framework of its Trade Development Strategy programme.
ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. As part of the ITC mandate of fostering sustainable development through increased trade opportunities, the Chief Economist and Export Strategy section offers a suite of trade-related strategy solutions to maximize the development payoffs from trade. ITC-facilitated trade development strategies and road maps are oriented to the trade objectives of a country or region and can be tailored to high-level economic goals, specific development targets or particular sectors.
Technical support was provided by Charles Roberge, Abhilash Puljal and Ayanthi Gurusinghe.
Financial support was provided by the European Union, as part of the ‘European Union –Sri Lanka Trade Related Assistance : Increasing SMEs’ trade competitiveness in regional and European Union markets’ project. The contents of this document can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
The views expressed herein do not reflect the official opinion of ITC. Mention of firms, products, and product brands does not imply the endorsement of ITC. This document has not been formally edited by ITC.
The International Trade Centre
Street address: ITC 54-56, rue de Montbrillant 1202 Geneva, SwitzerlandPostal address: ITC Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10, SwitzerlandTelephone: +41-22 730 0111Fax: +41-22 733 4439E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.intracen.org
Layout : Jesús Alés (www.sputnix.es)
Government of Sri Lanka
NATIONAL EXPORT STRATEGY OF SRI LANKA 2018-2022
TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY
Photo: (cc) pixabay
[ iii ]
[ FOREWORD FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR ]
FOREWORD FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Strategic growth and development of the Sri Lanka export sector depends heavily on the availability and ease of access to trade intelligence and information. Small & Medium sized Enterprises ( SMEs ) and oth-er sectors at large will benefit immensely from con-certed, coordinated and well-designed promotional campaigns to propel Sri Lankan products to regional and international markets.
In the light of this gap in the availability of trade infor-mation & intelligence for Sri Lankan exporters, ‘Trade Information & Promotion’ ( TIP ) has been identified as a vital Trade Support Function in the National Export Strategy ( NES ).
Trade Support Functions act as enabling agents to create a more business & export friendly trading en-vironment. As such, development of TIP will make available information on market analytics, regulatory details and procedural aspects of local and interna-tional trade.
Stakeholders in both the public & private sector welcome the inclusion of TIP as a Trade Support Function to be identified for enhanced growth & de-velopment as part of the overall NES. The advance-ment of this function will stimulate growth and spur further trade related activities among Sri Lankan ex-porters, both from priority sectors and other estab-lished mature sectors. This strategy is a collective endeavour of public and private stakeholders to de-fine priorities, coordinate and monitor activities and implement Plans of Action over the course of the next five years.
As a means to structure sector development, this strategy seeks to establish a reliable and afford-able ‘export intelligence & promotion’ portal to act as a repository of information to all stakeholders to assist in exporting, strengthen coordination for in-formation sharing between public & private stake-holders, strengthen capacities of sector officers in administrative cities in order to improve exports and to build ‘Brand Sri Lanka’ as a prominent promotion-al strategy.
As a step to bring forth quick dividends, the strat-egy proposes the organising of simultaneous global events in overseas missions to promote Brand Sri Lanka and its exports and investment opportunities.
In order to increase competitiveness of Sri Lankan SMEs in global markets and value chains, stake-holders across the spectrum have pledged to act to develop TIP. In order for Sri Lanka to reach parity with global standards for Trade Promotion Activities & dissemination of Trade Information, stakeholders identified the following as a vision statement that will guide sectoral growth : ‘Enabling Exporters to Make Strategic Market Decisions to Promote Sri Lanka’s Trade’.
Diligent and focused synergy across all activities in monitoring and implementing the strategy will be key to successful dissemination of trade information for local exporters and sound promotion of Sri Lanka trade.
Dhara Wijayatilake Chief Executive Officer Ceylon Chamber of Commerce On behalf of private sector
[ iv ]
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Trade Information and Promotion Strategy was developed as part of the National Export Strategy of Sri Lanka, under the aegis of the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board ( EDB ), with the financial support assistance of the European Union ( EU ), as part of the ‘EU-Sri Lanka Trade Related Assistance.’
The document benefited particularly from the inputs and guidance provided by the members of the trade information and promotion team that steered the formulation of the strategy, namely :
Name Designation institution
Mr. Suresh de Mel Managing Director Hambantota Chamber
Ms. Lilakshi de Mel Senior Assistant Secretary General
Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC)
Ms. Shubhashini Silva Assistant Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
Mr. Sudattha Silva Attorney-at-Law Sri Lanka Customs
Mr. Ravi Dissanayake Senior Lecturer University of Kelaniya
Mr. G.L. Gnanatheva Deputy Director Department of Commerce (DoC)
Mr. M.C. Sampath Perera Assistant Director Sri Lanka Tea Board
Mrs. W.A. Dilrukshini Additional Director Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL)
Mr. Dhammika Gunasekara President Sri Lanka Food Processors Association (SLFPA)
Ms. Anoma Prematilaka Director – Market Developments Export Development Board (EDB)
The full list of public and private stakeholders that contributed their precious time to the design of this Strategy are detailed in Appendix 1.
[ v ]
[ CONTENTS ]
CONTENTS
Foreword from the Private Sector ii
Acknowledgements iv
Acronyms vii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
THE VISION 2
THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 3
OVERVIEW OF TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION FUNCTION 5
TRADE INFORMATION 5
THE TIP PROCESS IN SRI LANKA 6
EXPORT PROFILE OF SRI LANKA 9
TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION PROCESS MAP 15
FOCUSING ON THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES 17
IMPROVING TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION FOR SRI LANKA’S EXPORTS 19
THE VISION 19
THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 19
MOVING TO ACTION – IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK 22
PLAN OF ACTION 2018–2022 25Appendix : List of participants in the public-private consultations 30
References 32
[ vi ]
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 : Trade information activities 6
Figure 2 : Trade promotion approach 6
Figure 3 : Sri Lankan trade in goods and services, 2000–2016 ( US $ billions ) 9
Figure 4 : Trade to gross domestic product regional comparison, 2001–2016 ( percentage of gross domestic product ) 9
Figure 5 : Composition of Sri Lanka’s exports of goods and services, 2016 10
Figure 6 : Sri Lankan services exports, 2005–2016 10
Figure 7 : Export destinations, 2016 11
Table 1 : Sri Lanka’s TIP policy support network 12
Table 2 : Sri Lanka’s TIP trade services network 12
Table 3 : Sri Lanka’s TIP business services network 13
Box 2 : Institutional adjustments for TIP 14
Figure 8 : Strategic objectives for TIP 20
Figure 9 : Strategic and operational objectives 22
Figure 10 : Institutional framework for TIP TSF development 23
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4 : Perception of Sri Lankan TIP TISIs – influence versus ability 14
[ vii ]
[ ACRONYMS ]
ACRONYMS
The following abbreviations are used :
B2B Business-to-businessBOI Board of InvestmentCBSL Central Bank of Sri LankaCCC Ceylon Chamber of CommerceDoC Department of CommerceEDB Sri Lanka Export Development BoardFCCISL Federation of Chambers of Commerce and
Industry Sri LankaITC International Trade CentreMoDSIT Ministry of Development Strategies and
International Trade
MIC Ministry of Industry and CommerceNCE National Chamber of Exporters of Sri LankaNES National Export StrategyPoA Plan of ActionSLC Sri Lanka CustomsSMEs Small and medium-sized enterprisesTIP Trade information and promotionTISI Trade and investment support institutionToT Training of trainersTSF Trade support function
1
[ ExEcutivE summary ]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The trade information and promotion ( TIP ) strategy ( the Strategy ) presented in this document is an integral part of the National Export Strategy ( NES ) of Sri Lanka. The ef-ficiency of the TIP network in Sri Lanka contributes to the export performance of all sectors of the economy. This doc-ument presents the expectations and strategic objectives of the private and public sectors for improved TIP functions in Sri Lanka.
The strategic enhancement of Sri Lanka’s exports depends on the availability of proper trade intelligence and informa-tion, and effective promotion campaigns. Achieving this am-bitious objective will depend on the ability of the requisite stakeholders to implement the activities defined in this TIP Strategy. As a primary intervention to structure sector de-velopment, it is recommended that the following steps be taken with priority :
� Establish a centralized, reliable, accessible and afford-able ‘export intelligence and promotion portal’ that would be a repository of information related to trade and promo-tion, and that is easily accessible to all stakeholders to assist them in exporting.
� Strengthen coordination for information-sharing between public and private stakeholders, and between industry and sectoral chambers based in Colombo ( national level ) and regional chapters.
� Strengthen the TIP-related technical, managerial and administrative capacities and abilities of relevant sector officers, especially in regional centres, as well as trade at-tachés posted overseas in Sri Lankan missions, in order to improve exports.
� Build Brand Sri Lanka strategically, not just overseas but also creating awareness within the country.
An immediate quick win would be to organize a standard pe-riodic globally synchronized event in all trade missions over-seas to promote Brand Sri Lanka, its exports and investment opportunities, targeting specific sectoral goals.
TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION
The lead organization for dissemination of trade informa-tion and promoting international trade is the Sri Lanka Export Development Board ( EDB ), with support from insti-tutions such as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka ( CBSL ) and Sri Lanka Customs ( SLC ), which provide raw and analysed data and information. From a private sector perspective, in-dustry bodies such as the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce ( CCC ), National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka ( NCE ) and Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka ( FCCISL ), among others, provide TIP services.
Trade information may be statistical data, market intelligence, regulatory procedures, standards and norms, or processes that are required to provide important analysis to take stra-tegic decisions for international trade. This information refers to a set of activities that can broadly be classified in three categories – collection or gathering of information, analy-sis of such gathered information and efficient dissemination of the information. The process involves private and public players and requires networking among stakeholders for a seamless flow of information. Effective use of contemporary technologies from capturing to transmitting the information is the key to successful trade information management. Trade promotion, also referred to as export promotion, is a set of economic policies, interventions and initiatives aimed at improving the trade performance in a target location or in-dustry. Improvement is mainly sought by increasing exports both in absolute terms and relative to imports. When spe-cific industries are targeted, trade promotion policies tend to focus on industries that have a comparative advantage over their foreign competitors. Ironically, trade promotion can also include expanding the supply of key inputs in a coun-try’s strongest industries, via import expansion.
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR TIP
Trade and investment support institutions ( TISIs ) are insti-tutions that have an interest in, and bearing on, export de-velopment. Broadly, the TISIs providing important services to the Sri Lankan TIP trade support function ( TSF ) can be categorized in the following areas :
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[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
� Policy support network � Trade services network � Business services network.
Coordination among public and private stakeholders in ob-taining TIP details, and the human capital, financial capacity and quality of service of individual institutions was analysed in this section. It was inferred from Strategy consultations that besides the limited availability of relevant trade infor-mation, analysis of that information that is available for pub-lic consumption is often not disseminated efficiently. This is largely due to limited managerial and administrative capaci-ties. The perception of the influence and ability of Sri Lankan TISIs in the TIP arena was also analysed, with institutional adjustments and implementation procedures detailed.
THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES
To remain realistic and resource-efficient, the Strategy can-not focus on all the issues affecting the value chain. It thus necessary to make an informed selection of the most im-portant issues to be addressed. To make this assessment, the criteria used were the level of disturbance ( perceived
by national stakeholders ) and the ease of resolution ( both in terms of cost and time involved ).
The top issues to be addressed across the TIP system include :
� Absence of a centralized reliable, accessible and afford-able trade information platform ;
� Weak coordination between agencies with regard to gathering and sharing information ;
� Limited resources of overseas missions to effective-ly collect and analyse market, product and regulatory information ;
� Trade information and opportunities are not easily acces-sible to exporters in regional areas ;
� Links between national chambers and their chapters in regions are weak ;
� Promotional activities conducted by Sri Lankan mis-sions overseas, including overseas trade fairs and busi-ness-to-business ( B2B ) meetings and connections, are inadequate ;
� Branding of Sri Lanka and its products is limited in target markets ;
� Small and medium-sized enterprise ( SME ) participation in international trade missions is low.
THE VISION
TIP is vital to develop export competitiveness across Sri Lanka. Both the availability and quality of TIP details are weak. Coordination among institutions related to TIP is weak and has led to redundancies in some places and gaps in service delivery in other areas. With that in mind, public and multisectoral private stakeholders crafted the following in-dustry vision to bring Sri Lanka on a par with global stand-ards for trade promotion activities and dissemination of trade information :
“ Enabling exporters to make strategic market decisions to promote
Sri Lanka’s trade ”Photo: (cc) pixabay
3
[ ExEcutivE summary ]
THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
The Plan of Action ( PoA ) will respond to this vision by ad-dressing the sector’s constraints and leveraging opportu-nities in a comprehensive manner. To this end, particular efforts will be made along the following strategic orientations :
•
•
•
Strengthen coordination between public and private institutions for efficient exchange of reliable trade information and trade promotion services.Strengthen TISIs' ability to provide relevant and up-to-date information in a coordinated manner, and provide trade promotion services (including online and offline support).Enhance regional chambers' and institutions' ability to support SMEs to integrate into the export value chain through increased access to trade information and export promotion services.
Increase awareness of online information and resources available under promotional services.Implement a targeted capacity-building programme for SMEs and exporters to enable them to use information and promotion services efficiently.
Strategic objective 1: Improve the quality, reliability, accessibility and affordability of trade information and trade promotion services.
Strategic objective 2: Build the capacity of SMEs and emerging exporters to collect and analyse trade information and conduct export promotion.
Strategic objective 3: Strategically augment trade promotion programmes with focused interventions.
•
•
Build Brand Sri Lanka and sector brands.Strengthen and expand the scope of promoting Sri Lanka and its products through trade attachés in overseas missions.
••
ESSENTIAL INTERVENTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS
The following are the key essential interventions and adjust-ments necessary to create the future state of the Sri Lankan TIP TSF. This is exemplified through the above vision and these elements are all addressed through the strategic PoA. Based on the challenges mentioned earlier, it is suggested that Sri Lanka make the following priorities, with short, me-dium and long-term goals. Short-term means immediate to one year, medium-term is one to three years and long-term is beyond three years.
short-term goals :
� Establish a collaborative export intelligence and pro-motion portal ( unified repository of export-related information ).
� Strengthen TISIs’ ability to provide relevant and up-to-date information in a coordinated manner, as well as to provide trade promotion services, especially targeted support to public sector organizations.
medium-term goals :
� Provide targeted support to regional Chambers of Commerce ( Jaffna, Kandy, Galle, Hambantota ).
� Develop the national branding and marketing position ( tag lines, logos, materials and dissemination channels ) and nominate a champion to lead these branding efforts across TISIs to ensure consistency.
Long-term goals :
� Implement the Sri Lanka exports/investment branding campaign with standardized materials distributed in aer-oplanes and at trade fairs, investment promotion, etc.
� Organize a standard periodic global synchronized event in all Sri Lanka missions overseas to promote Brand Sri Lanka, its exporters and investment opportunities.
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[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Coordinating activities, monitoring progress and mobilizing resources for implementation will be critical to successful achievement of these targets. To that end, a public–private ‘advisory committee’ for the TIP function has been estab-lished, operationalized and empowered by the EDB. The TIP advisory committee is responsible for overall coordina-tion, provision of policy guidance and the monitoring of TIP
trade function development along the strategic orientation. An effectively organized and supported committee can plan the TIP development strategically.
High-level support from the Government, in collaboration with strong championship by the private sector, will be the real drivers to transform Sri Lanka’s exports.
Photo: (cc) pixabay
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[ OvErviEW Of traDE iNfOrmatiON aND PrOmOtiON fuNctiON ]
OVERVIEW OF TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION
FUNCTION
Successful trade in global markets depends on gathering and analysing relevant market information, alongside plau-sible initiatives for promotion. Pertinent information allows firms to understand the commercial landscape of existing and potential markets, and analysed data facilitates the continued competitiveness of products and may permit en-terprises to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Reliable information can be used to stay ahead of new trends and de-mands, thereby allowing enterprises to design, develop and modify products based on the requirements of target mar-kets. Moreover, reliable information on international stand-ards and regulations allows exporters to design products in accordance with the compliance requirements of target mar-kets. Trade promotion aims to improve trade performance in a specific economic area, and can be location- or indus-try-based. TIP is a prerequisite for market penetration and a well-functioning trading platform contributing to diversifi-cation by facilitating the expansion of both geographic and
product markets. Ultimately, this will lead to an increase in both domestic and foreign trade, leading to enhanced na-tional economic development.
This TIP Strategy is an integral part of the NES of Sri Lanka. The efficiency of the TIP network in Sri Lanka will contribute to the export performance of all sectors of the economy. This document presents the expectations and strategic ob-jectives of the private and public sectors for improved TIP functions in Sri Lanka.
The analysis and recommendations of this document focus on key organizational, technical and skills development chal-lenges that can be resolved through a structured partner-ship of institutions. There is significant scope to empower exporters’ market entry and development through strength-ened and more dynamic trade information.
TRADE INFORMATION
Trade information can be statistical data, market intelligence, regulatory procedures, standards and norms, or processes that are required to provide important analysis to take stra-tegic decisions for international trade. This information refers to a set of activities that can broadly be classified in three categories – collection or gathering of information, analy-sis of such gathered information and efficient dissemination of the information. The process involves private and public players and requires networking among stakeholders for a seamless flow of information. Effective use of contemporary technologies for capturing to transmitting information is the key to successful trade information management.
TRADE PROMOTIONTrade promotion, also referred as export promotion, is a set of economic policies, interventions and initiatives aimed at improving trade performance in a target location or industry. Improvement is mainly sought by increasing exports both in absolute terms and relative to imports. When specific indus-tries are targeted, trade promotion policies tend to focus on industries that have a comparative advantage over their for-eign competitors. Ironically, trade promotion can also include expanding the supply of key inputs in a country’s strongest industries, via import expansion.
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[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Figure 1 : trade information activities
source : ITC.
Figure 2 : trade promotion approach
Source : ITC.
THE TIP PROCESS IN SRI LANKA
The lead organization for dissemination of trade information and promoting international trade is EDB, with support from institutions such as CBSL and SLC, which provide raw and
analysed data and information. From a private sector per-spective, industry bodies such as CCC, NCE and FCCISL, among others, provide TIP services.
Of the national-level chambers, CCC, NCE and FCCISL pro-vide TIP services for exporters. CCC has networks with over 70 overseas business chambers and trade associations, pro-viding access not just to trade data and information but also to potential business opportunities. It also enjoys a close working relationship with international organizations – such as the Netherlands’ Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries, and ITC ( Geneva ) ; and donors such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the German Agency for International Cooperation and the United States Agency for International Development – to enhance global links. The Sri Lankan national chambers also provide policy advocacy assistance, representing the exporter community in asking for the support required from the Government for global trade.
NCE is the major chamber specifically representing the ex-porter community of Sri Lanka. It assists in trade inquiries and provides trade leads received from Sri Lankan missions overseas, foreign trade chambers, and other trade organi-zations, which are disseminated to members. NCE partici-pates in overseas and local trade fairs and trade exhibitions,
and organizes promotion programmes and trade delega-tions. Importantly, NCE is the designated Chamber to issue Certificates of Origin and related documents to Sri Lankan exporters, besides issuing specialized certificates such as International Organization for Standardization 22000, 9001 and 14000 ; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points ; Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001 ; Social Accountability 8000 ; Good Manufacturing Practices, etc. to exporters. Furthermore, the annual NCE Export Awards recognize and reward the export performance of Sri Lankan exporters and those who provide services to exporters.
FCCISL is an umbrella organization of the private sector, playing a key role in promoting business and industry in the country by providing member bodies with a wide spec-trum of services ranging from advisory to consultative, pro-motional, information-sharing and representative services. It is also the most widespread business organization, with member bodies from all districts and provinces of Sri Lanka and a nationwide membership of over 50 chambers of com-merce and business associations. It is a key organization for dissemination of TIP to rural areas of Sri Lanka and SMEs.
Box 1 : Case study : TIP organizations – Canada
Export Development Canada : This body is the Canadian export credit agency that supports and develops Canada’s export trade by helping Canadian companies respond to international business op-portunities. It is a self-financing, Crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the Government. It provides insurance and financial services, bonding products and small business solutions to Canadian exporters and investors and their international buyers. Much of its busi-ness is done in partnership with other financial institutions and through collaboration with the Government of Canada. Unlike most export credit agencies worldwide, it is financially self-sufficient and operates much like a commercial institution. The ability of Canadian companies, particularly SMEs, to connect with international buyers is critical to Canada’s trade success, but many of these companies do not have the size or visibility to make that happen, particularly in emerging markets. One of Export Development Canada’s strategies is to help make these connections through match-making sessions with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, through equity investments and by leveraging financial relationships with foreign buyers to encourage them to procure from Canadian suppliers. This strategy is particularly geared towards helping Canadian SMEs grow internationally.
Canadian Trade Commissioner Service : This Service provides on-the-ground intelligence and practical advice in foreign markets to help exports in a timely and cost-effective manner in order to achieve trade goals abroad. It is present in about 161 cities abroad and in Canada, and helps exporters navigate the complexities of international markets. It has privileged access to foreign governments, key business leaders and decision makers because it is a part of Canadian embassies and con-sulates. Its business contacts include potential customers, distributors,
sources of finance or investment, technology partners and intermediar-ies. It organizes trade missions led by the Minister of International Trade or other senior government officials, which include business briefings, market and sector presentations/discussions, networking events, B2B meetings, site visits ( when possible ) and face-time with the Minister or senior government officials. They also publish ‘CanadExport’ a magazine dedicated to exports from Canada.
CanExport : This Canadian Government programme provides direct financial assistance to SMEs registered in Canada that wish to de-velop new export opportunities and markets, especially high-growth emerging markets. Delivered by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in partnership with the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Programme, CanExport provides financial sup-port for a wide range of export marketing activities.
Canadian exports promotion tool : This is a private sector export promotion tool that basically acts as a matchmaker between Canadian exporters and global importers. Supported by an interactive website in 32 languages, it reaches more than 100,000 importers and buy-ers in over 120 countries. It offers a wide range of export-related services that cover most of the import / export process. It also recom-mends specific products, services or Canadian business partners, establishes initial contact, facilitates negotiations, arranges business meetings and provides information about upcoming trade fairs and business delegations, among others. To facilitate smooth business, it has agreements with many service providers that cover important operations such as shipping, forwarding, clearing, translation and travel, among others.
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[ Export profilE of Sri lanka ]
EXPORT PROFILE OF SRI LANKA
Although Sri Lanka has traditionally been an import-de-pendent insular economy, exports have started showing positive trends over the past five years. Over the last dec-ade, exports of goods and services grew by an annual av-erage of 7.4 %, reaching US $ 17.4 billion in 2016. Imports growth over the same period was slightly lower at 7.3 %, which is a hint towards a change in trade balance trends.
When comparing Sri Lanka’s export growth to the region, the country’s performance has improved. The only neighbour-ing countries reaching higher export growth rates were Viet Nam and India, with 15.5 % and 8 % respectively. Indonesia and Malaysia’s exports of goods and services only grew at 4.6 % and 1 % respectively.
Figure 3 : Sri lankan trade in goods and services, 2000–2016 ( US $ billions )
Figure 4 : trade to gross domestic product regional comparison, 2001–2016 ( percentage of gross
domestic product )
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
Curre
nt b
illio
n US
$
Trade balance Exports Imports
Trade in goods and services
21,40
20
40
60
80
100
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Exports of goods and services(% of GDP)
Perc
enta
ge o
f GDP
Sri Lanka Thailand
Vietnam India
Source : ITC calculations based on Comtrade and World Bank World Development Indicators data, 2017.
However, these positive signs are counterbalanced by the fact that export growth starts from a very low base. Sri Lanka remains a marginal exporter in the region, with a world export share that stagnated between 0.08 % in 2001 and 0.07 % in 2016. Other economies, such as India, Thailand, Indonesia and Viet Nam, have successfully in-creased their export share during the same period, while already starting with a much higher share of world exports.
The trade deficit has also remained unchanged and has even been aggravated, leading to accumulation of the debt required to finance the balance-of-payments short-falls. Sri Lanka’s trade balance deficit remains substantial, and increased from US $ 0.7 billion in 2001 to US $ 8.9 bil-lion in 2016.1 This led to a rise in the ratio of debt to exports
1.– ITC calculations based on Comtrade data.
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[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
from 141 % in 2000 to 265 % in 2016.2 While neighbouring countries such as Viet Nam, Thailand and Indonesia have succeeded in reducing their external debt ratio since 2000, Sri Lanka has become the country with the greatest debt to export ratio in South Asia.
Even though exports of goods show limited diversifi-cation, the services sector has been evolving more dy-namically, becoming one of the drivers of recent export performance. In absolute terms and compared with 2005,
2.– International Monetary Fund ( 2016 ). Sri Lanka – Staff Report for the 2016 Article IV Consultation and Request for a Three-Year Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, p. 54. IMF Country Report No. 16/150. Washington, D.C.
Sri Lankan exports of services quadrupled to US $ 7.1 billion in 2016. In relative terms, service exports increased from 4.7 % of GDP in 2011 to nearly 8 % in 2015. The services sector also enjoyed a trade surplus, which stood at US $ 2.3 million in 2015. Within services exports, the greatest growth came from the travel, and information and communications technology industries, with 24 % and 18 % annual growth be-tween 2006 and 2016 respectively. The transportation sec-tor enjoyed 12 % annual growth over the same period. The travel industry overtook transportation services in 2014 and became the largest service export, culminating at US $ 3.5 billion today. Recently, financial, insurance and pension – as well as construction – services have gained, but still play a less significant role in overall Sri Lankan exports of services.
Figure 5 : composition of sri Lanka’s exports of goods and services, 2016
Apparel26%
Tea, spices9%
Rubber5%
Electricalmachinery
1%
Gems1%
Fruit and nuts1%
Fish1%
Miscellaneous edible preparations(coconut water) 1% Mineral fuels, oils
1%
Others14%
Travel20%
Transport13%
ICT5%
Financial services1%
Insurance and pension1%
Construction
Other servicesGovernment
Services40%
source : ITC calculations based on Comtrade data, 2017.
Figure 6 : sri Lankan services exports, 2005–2016
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Travel Transport ICT
Financial services Insurance & pension Construction
Other business services Government
source : ITC calculations based on Comtrade data, 2017.
11
[ ExPOrt PrOfiLE Of sri LaNka ]
the main goods’ export destinations remained relatively unchanged over the past decade, showing limited over-all market diversification. In 2016, Sri Lanka’s top export destinations were the United States of America ( 27 % of to-tal exports in goods ), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ( 10 % ), India ( 7 % ) and Germany ( 5 % ). Compared to 2005, the ranking of the top four export
destinations did not change, while their total share de-creased by 9 %. Current global trends in market development will be relevant for future Sri Lankan exports. The foreseen granting of the EU Generalized System of Preferences+, Brexit, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and prospering Asian markets are all changing Sri Lanka’s positioning in the inter-national trade environment.
Figure 7 : Export destinations, 2016
United States27%
United Kingdom10%
India7%
Germany5%
Italy4%Belgium
3%
UAE3%
China2%
Netherlands2%
Japan2%Russia
2%
Canada2%
Iran2%
France2%
Australia2%
Other27%
source : ITC calculations based on Comtrade data, 2017.
Even though market diversification remained modest, sri Lanka’s new markets mostly emerged in asia rather than Europe over the last five years. The greatest growth of exports between 2012 and 2016 was in the Chinese ( 23 % ), Indian ( 8 % ), American ( 7 % ), Canadian ( 7 % ) and Emirati ( 7 % ) markets. European destinations have generally been shrinking since 2011 as a share of Sri Lanka’s total exports. This confirms the ability of mature export sectors to expand their market reach. For example, tea is exported to 111 coun-tries, while apparel is exported to around 90 countries.
INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION SERVICESTISIs are institutions that have an interest in, and bearing on, export development. Tables 1 to 3 identify the main TISIs whose service delivery affects the TIP framework in Sri Lanka. An assessment of TISIs along three key dimen-sions – coordination and influence, human capital and fi-nancial capacity, and quality of service – is provided. The assessment was conducted based on stakeholders’
evaluation of TISIs from the perspective of how well they serve TIP stakeholders.3
POLICY SUPPORT NETWORK
These institutions represent ministries and competent au-thorities responsible for influencing or implementing policies affecting the sector.
3.– ‘Coordination and influence’ measures an institution’s links with other institutions as well as the beneficiaries of their services ( in particular, the private sector ) in terms of collaboration and information sharing. ‘Human capital and financial capacity’ assessed the general level of ability of this institution’s staff in terms of their training and responsiveness to sector stakeholders and the financial resources/capacity available to the institution to provide efficient service delivery. ’Quality of service’ assessed the institution’s ability to disseminate important information appropriately and efficiently.
12
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Table 1 : sri Lanka’s tiP policy support network
Name of institution
function / rolecoordination and influence
Human and financial capacity
Quality of service
Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade ( MoDSIT )
MoDSIT formulates policies and strategies for regional and bilateral economic cooperation along with the Department of Commerce ( DoC ). MoDSIT also encourages exports and represents Sri Lanka at trade shows locally and globally.
M M L
DoC DoC develops and promotes Sri Lanka’s foreign trade relations through effective implementation of government trade policy. It evaluates, negotiates and implements bilateral, regional, multilateral and overseas trade relations. DoC also acts as a focal point for intergovernmental and intra-ministerial communication.Furthermore, it deputes officers as trade attachés from among its staff, to promote trade and investments in Sri Lanka’s 66 diplomatic missions in 51 countries around the world.
H L L
CBSL CBSL is the monetary authority of Sri Lanka and the apex institution in the country’s financial sector. It is responsible for the conduct of monetary policy in Sri Lanka and also has wide supervisory powers over the financial system.It also collates trade-related data and analyses the same for further publication in the public domain.
H L M
TRADE SERVICES NETWORK
These institutions or agencies provide a wide range of trade-related services to both the Government and enterprises. They support and promote sectors and are concerned with the delivery of trade and export solutions within a develop-ing country.
Table 2 : sri Lanka’s tiP trade services network
Name of institution
function/rolecoordination and influence
Human and financial capacity
Quality of service
EDB EDB is Sri Lanka’s apex organization for the promotion and development of exports. It advises the Government on export policies in order to create a conducive environment for exports ; monitors the performance of the export sector ; and promotes Sri Lankan products and services globally by acting as a facilitator of export development and co-coordinating export development activities with all stakeholders.
H L M
SLC SLC facilitates legitimate trade, collects revenue, evaluates import and export data to provide statistics, and cooperates and coordinates with other government departments and stakeholders with respect to imports and exports.
H H M
BUSINESS SERVICES NETWORK
These are associations or major representatives of commer-cial services providers used by exporters to effect interna-tional trade transactions.
13
[ ExPOrt PrOfiLE Of sri LaNka ]
Table 3 : sri Lanka’s tiP business services network
Name of institution
function / rolecoordination and influence
Human and financial capacity
Quality of service
Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
Established on March 25, 1839, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is amongst the few legendary institutions in the Asia Pacific region to hold such an unbroken record. The Ceylon Chamber has the unique feature of a Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Trade Associations, Regional Chambers, Employer organizations and Bilateral Business Councils in Sri Lanka having formed alliances with 23 Regional and other Chambers of Commerce, 40 Trade, Product and Service Associations and 19 Bilateral Business Councils with an outreach of over 8,500 covering the entire spectrum of the business community ranging from sole proprietors to multinationals. In addition, it has established strong links with 125 overseas trade promotion organisations by way of signing Memorandum of Understanding as at end March 2018.
H H H
National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka
The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka is a leading business chamber with a network of offices nationwide promoting domestic and foreign trade, with a special emphasis on the development of SMEs.
M M M
NCE NCE is the only private sector chamber exclusively servicing Sri Lankan exporters. The key services provided include disseminating trade inquiries and trade leads ; conducting training programmes and workshops ; participating in trade fairs, exhibitions and trade delegations ; providing access to services of overseas trade representatives ; organizing sectoral meetings ; and dissemination of market information, trade statistics and buyer information, among others.
M M M
FCCISL FCCISL is one of the largest apex business support organizations in Sri Lanka, with membership in all districts and provinces. It works towards arranging inward and outward trade delegations from numerous countries in order to provide wider interaction with the Sri Lankan business community, issues Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin to Sri Lankan exporters, and conducts a wide variety of education and training activities, For the promotion and development of SMEs, it provides them with industrial engineering and technology transfer services, energy and environmental services, enterprise development services, etc., as well as services promoting public–private partnerships for SMEs.
L M M
Sector associations
• The Spice Council of Sri Lanka• Sri Lanka Tea Board – Statistics division• Lanka Fruits and Vegetable Producers, Processors and Exporters As-
sociation• Sri Lanka Electronic Manufacturers and Exporters Association• Joint Apparel Association Forum• Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism
H M M
Regional and district chambers
Regional and district chambers facilitate trade and issue Certificates of Origin while helping with training and building capacities of SME businesses in regional and rural areas of Sri Lanka.
L L L
ASSESSMENT OF TIP INSTITUTIONS
Coordination among public and private stakeholders in obtaining TIP details is limited. There is no common plat-form where they can share or find relevant information. Coordination among public sector organizations is better but there are overlapping work profiles between departments and ministries. For example, some of the work profiles of CBSL overlap with work profiles of people working in SLC when it comes to analysis of trade-related data. This over-lapping of work may lead to duplication of effort, which may also be a waste of expenditure.
The human capital and financial capacity of most organ-izations lies in the medium range as an average. This is also due to the fact that dissemination of information may not be comprehensive on request by email or by phone. According to discussions in the consultations, important links for TIP struggle with less than ideal human capital to provide the necessary support to exporters. Moreover, even in organizations that seem to have highly qualified employ-ees, trade information dissemination is not perceived as a priority. Financial capacity is also a challenge. It was also noted that, even for those projects that have been funded through national budgets, line organizations – due to limited
14
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
capacities within the organizations – have delayed imple-mentation long enough that the project funds spill over to the following year and the budgeted funds get reallocated due to ineffective use.
Quality of service is also considered average. According to inputs from consultations, it has been inferred that besides the limited availability of requisite trade information, respons-es to the information gathered that are available for public consumption are often not disseminated, even on request. This is largely due to limited managerial and administrative capacities.
PERCEPTION OF SRI LANKAN TIP TISIS – INFLUENCE VERSUS ABILITY
As table 4 demonstrates, the capacities of organizations whose level of influence is high – such as EDB and DoC ( mostly reflecting Sri Lankan missions overseas ) – to re-spond to needs in terms of TIP are low. This demonstrates that improving the capacities of these institutions is critical, especially EDB, because it is the lead institution for TIP and ultimately for exports from the country.
Table 4 : Perception of Sri Lankan TIP TISIs – influence versus ability
capacity of institution to respond to sector needs
High medium Low
Level of influence on sector
High • SLC • Sector associations • CBSL• EDB• DoC
Medium • MoDSIT• National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka• NCE
• CCC
Low • FCCISL • Regional and district chambers
Moreover, most of the industry chambers such as the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and NCE, have medium capacities, and CCC has low capacity, while all have moderate influence ; this shows that if the capacities of these industry-led institutions can be built, they can be-come more influential. Improvements should be specifically
focused on strengthening capacities in technical and ad-ministrative skill sets, besides providing a platform such as an export intelligence and promotion portal that can guide coordination between the public and private sectors and bridge the knowledge gap between national and regional organizations.
INSTITUTIONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Box 2 : institutional adjustments for tiP
institutional adjustment implementation procedures
Strengthen coordination between public and private institutions for reliable trade information services
• Establish a collaborative export intelligence and promotion portal ( unified repository of trade-related information )
• Organize quarterly technical review meetings to review and validate the quality of information uploaded to the portal
Strengthen TISIs’ ability to provide information in a coordinated manner and provide trade promotion services
• Strengthen the capacity of TISI officers and their corresponding regional officers• Build the capacities of DoC trade attachés to enable them to gather and analyse information and
be able to organize trade fairs and B2B meetings• Strengthen industry bodies’ connections with regional chapters on TIP• Establish regional export advisory committees in key regions ( Jaffna, Kandy, Galle, Hambantota,
etc. )
Implement a targeted capacity-building programme for SME exporters to efficiently use information and promotion services
• Develop a standardized training course to build capacities of SME exporters through sector as-sociations
• Implement a Training of Trainers ( ToT ) programme to reach out to regional chambers and sector associations with standardized training courses on trade analysis and promotion. These trainers can then continue training regularly
16
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Colle
ctio
n an
d an
alys
isDi
ssem
inat
ion
Prom
otio
n
Lege
nd:
Perfo
rman
ce is
sues
Inst
itutio
nal a
nd c
oord
inat
ion
issu
es
No c
entra
lized
, rel
iabl
e, a
cces
sibl
e an
d af
ford
able
trad
e in
form
atio
n pl
atfo
rm th
at c
an p
rovi
de a
naly
sed
data
and
info
rmat
ion:
Exis
ting
repo
sito
ries
of k
ey tr
ade-
rela
ted
info
rmat
ion
such
as
mar
ket p
rices
, reg
ulat
ions
, sta
ndar
ds, e
xpor
t fin
ance
mec
hani
sms,
etc
. are
inad
equa
te.
Com
plic
ated
coo
rdin
atio
n an
d ha
rmon
izatio
n of
sys
tem
s an
d pr
oces
ses.
Diss
emin
atio
n of
info
rmat
ion
from
indu
stry
ch
ambe
rs a
nd s
ecto
r ass
ocia
tions
in C
olom
bo
to re
gion
al c
entre
s is
wea
k. S
MEs
esp
ecia
lly fi
nd
it di
fficu
lt to
acc
ess
info
rmat
ion
in th
e re
gion
s:
Mos
t sec
tor a
ssoc
iatio
ns d
o no
t hav
e re
gion
al
netw
orks
for d
isse
min
atio
n of
info
rmat
ion.
Of
ten
info
rmat
ion
rece
ived
is in
Eng
lish
and
not t
rans
late
d in
to S
inha
la o
r Tam
il.
Wea
k co
ordi
natio
n be
twee
n ag
enci
es (p
ublic
and
priv
ate)
with
rega
rd to
sha
ring
of in
form
atio
n:In
form
atio
n is
ava
ilabl
e bu
t not
eas
ily s
hare
d by
the
publ
ic s
ecto
r –la
ck o
f cap
aciti
es.
Data
pub
lishe
d is
in in
acce
ssib
le fo
rmat
s (e
xam
ple:
pro
vide
d in
form
at).
Dela
yed
rele
ase
of d
ata,
lead
ing
to d
ata
beco
min
g ou
tdat
ed b
y th
e tim
e it
reac
hes
the
publ
ic d
omai
n.Pr
ivat
e se
ctor
is a
lso
relu
ctan
t to
shar
e da
ta w
ith th
e Go
vern
men
t (ex
ampl
e: in
form
atio
n on
the
indu
stria
l pr
oduc
tion
inde
x, q
uarte
rly s
urve
ys o
n in
dust
ry e
tc.).
Lim
ited
reso
urce
s of
ove
rsea
s m
issi
ons
to e
ffect
ivel
y co
llect
and
ana
lyse
mar
ket,
prod
uct a
nd re
gula
tory
info
rmat
ion.
Lim
ited
mar
ket i
ntel
ligen
ce o
n op
portu
nitie
s in
targ
et m
arke
ts:
Conn
ectio
ns b
etw
een
targ
et m
arke
t in
dust
ry b
odie
s an
d re
late
d ne
twor
ks a
re
inad
equa
te.
Sri L
anka
n ov
erse
as m
issi
ons’
trad
e pr
omot
ion
activ
ities
are
inad
equa
te d
ue to
: Bu
dget
ary
cons
train
ts.
Lim
ited
tech
nica
l and
man
ager
ial c
apac
ities
to
orga
nize
act
iviti
es.
Over
seas
trad
e fa
irs a
nd B
2B a
ctiv
ities
are
m
ostly
inef
fect
ive
(do
not r
esul
t in
succ
essf
ul
busi
ness
dea
ls):
Inad
equa
te p
repa
ratio
n (in
und
erst
andi
ng
buye
rs’ t
echn
ical
requ
irem
ents
, dis
tribu
tion
chan
nels
, etc
.).Li
ttle
or n
o fo
llow
-up
actio
n af
ter a
mis
sion
. Lo
w a
war
enes
s at
SM
E le
vel o
f opp
ortu
nitie
s su
ch a
s ov
erse
as tr
ade
fairs
or B
2B
activ
ities
.
Over
seas
buy
ers
are
not a
war
e of
the
vast
ra
nge
of p
rodu
cts
avai
labl
e fo
r exp
ort f
rom
Sri
Lank
a:Ex
posu
re o
f pro
duct
s in
term
s of
bra
ndin
g is
lim
ited.
M
any
prod
ucts
indi
geno
us to
Sri
Lank
a ha
ve n
ot
been
regi
ster
ed u
nder
Geo
grap
hica
l Ind
icat
ions
.
Low
par
ticip
atio
n of
SM
Es in
inte
rnat
iona
l tra
de
mis
sion
s:
Lim
ited
num
ber o
f opp
ortu
nitie
s fo
r exp
orte
rs
to p
artic
ipat
e in
trad
efa
irs.
High
cos
t for
SM
Es re
lativ
e to
the
retu
rn o
n th
eir i
nves
tmen
t.Ch
alle
nge
for e
xpor
ters
to a
cces
s in
tellig
ent
tech
nica
l inf
orm
atio
n on
des
tinat
ion
mar
kets
.
Over
seas
pro
mot
iona
l opp
ortu
nity
in
form
atio
n do
es n
ot tr
ickl
e do
wn
to re
gion
al
and
SME
expo
rters
bec
ause
ther
e is
no
help
de
sk o
n ex
ports
at r
egio
nal a
nd d
istri
ct le
vels
.
Capa
citie
s of
cer
tain
offi
cers
in v
ario
us
publ
ic-s
ecto
r ins
titut
ions
and
indu
stry
bo
dies
to
pro
vide
the
late
st a
nd re
leva
nt in
form
atio
n to
SM
Es a
nd e
xpor
ters
is li
mite
d:No
regu
lar s
kills
upg
radi
ng p
rogr
amm
e fo
r tra
de in
form
atio
n of
ficer
s in
key
in
stitu
tions
.
Abse
nce
of th
ird p
arty
priv
ate
serv
ice
prov
ider
s th
at c
an p
rovi
de m
arke
t ana
lysi
s an
d in
form
atio
n
17
[ ExPOrt PrOfiLE Of sri LaNka ]
FOCUSING ON THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES
To remain realistic and resource-efficient, the Strategy can-not focus on all the issues affecting the value chain. It will thus need to make an informed selection of the most impor-tant ones which need to be addressed. To assess this, the criteria used are the level of disturbance ( as perceived by national stakeholders ) and the ease of resolution ( both in terms of cost and the time involved ).
TOP ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED ON COLLECTION, ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION OF TRADE INFORMATIONABSENCE OF A CENTRALIZED RELIABLE, ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE EXPORT INFORMATION AND PROMOTION PLATFORM
Although there is information and data available in the pub-lic domain, there is no centralized, reliable, accessible and affordable trade information platform in the country that can provide analysed data and information efficiently. The ex-isting repositories mandated to provide key trade-related information such as market prices, regulations, standards, export finance mechanisms etc. are inadequate. Information is neither updated nor analysed and disseminated on a real-time basis. Moreover, there are limited mechanisms for re-porting or using standard templates and timelines to review and validate the quality of information currently available in existing repositories. Coordination between data provid-ers and data users is also poor, leading to redundancy / ir-relevance of the captured data and leaving required data uncaptured.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 1.1.1, 1.1.2 and 1.1.3
TOP ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED ON COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF INFORMATIONWEAK COORDINATION BETWEEN AGENCIES WITH REGARD TO GATHERING AND SHARING OF INFORMATION
Trade data and information for trade promotion is gathered, analysed and disseminated by various agencies, both pub-lic and private, in Sri Lanka. However, the coordination be-tween these agencies and institutions is weak, leading to duplication and competition for self-promotion. Most times the requisite data and information is available in the public domain but is not made easily available, mostly due to lack
of technical and administrative capacities. Moreover, data published is often inaccessible for further analysis because it may be made available in unsuitable formats. For example, trade data made available by CBSL is shared in PDF format instead of Excel format, making it more difficult to use the data effectively. Release of data is also often extremely de-layed, which renders the data stale and of limited usefulness. The consultations also highlighted the issue of the private sector’s reluctance to share data in the public domain. This leads to not having data on local demand, industrial produc-tion, surveys on industry, etc.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 1.1.3 and 1.1.4
LIMITED RESOURCES OF OVERSEAS MISSIONS TO EFFECTIVELY COLLECT AND ANALYSE MARKET, PRODUCT AND REGULATORY INFORMATION
Although there are many opportunities available in global markets, especially untapped markets for Sri Lankan ex-porters, limited market intelligence on target markets limits knowledge about export prospects. Two of the main reasons for this situation are that there are limited connections be-tween target market industry associations and other private networks, and that there are limited third party private ser-vice providers that can assist in market analysis and promo-tion services for overseas market development.
Moreover, due to capacity limitations and other challenges faced by commercial attachés posted overseas, information on opportunities is limited. This is also due to inadequate skill upgrading programmes for trade information officers at overseas missions and key institutions.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2.1 and 2.2.2
TRADE INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO EXPORTERS IN REGIONAL AREAS
Exporters, especially SMEs in the regions, find it difficult to obtain data and information on export opportunities. This could be because the information may be available but not translated into Sinhala or Tamil. The disconnect between the chambers based in Colombo and their regional centres also often leads to lack of information for regional players.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 2.1.1, 2.2.1 and 2.2.2
18
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
TOP ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED ON DISSEMINATION OF TIP
LINKS BETWEEN NATIONAL CHAMBERS AND THEIR CHAPTERS IN REGIONS ARE WEAK
Dissemination of information from industry chambers and sector associations in Colombo to regional centres is weak. SMEs in regional areas especially find it difficult to access information because most sector associations, especially sector-specific associations, do not have regional networks for dissemination of information or because the little infor-mation they do receive is in English and not translated into Sinhala or Tamil, rendering it useless. Moreover, information on overseas promotional opportunities does not trickle down to regional SME exporters because there is no help desk on exports at regional or district level.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 1.3.1 and 1.3.2
TOP ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED ON PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF TIP TISIS
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY SRI LANKAN MISSIONS OVERSEAS, INCLUDING OVERSEAS TRADE FAIRS AND B2B ACTIVITIES, ARE INADEQUATE
During consultations, stakeholders conveyed that Sri Lankan overseas missions’ activities to promote the country’s sec-tors or products is inadequate. This is mostly due to budg-etary constraints and to some extent due to limited technical and managerial capacities to organize sizeable activities. Although many overseas trade fairs and B2B activities are attended, many times these are ineffective, i.e. not result-ing in successful business deals or opportunities. This is often because preparation to attend such events – such as understanding buyers’ technical requirements, distribution channels etc. – has been inadequate. In addition, follow-up action after attending trade fairs and B2B meetings is also often minimal.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 3.1.2, 3.2.1 and 3.2.2
BRANDING OF SRI LANKA AND ITS PRODUCTS IN TARGET MARKETS IS LIMITED
Overseas buyers are not aware of the vast range of products available for export from Sri Lanka. This is due to the fact that exposure to products and brands from Sri Lanka is limited and many products indigenous to Sri Lanka have not been registered under the Geographical Indication programme. Most individual companies have their own campaigns to promote their products but there are none under a common banner. These independent promotional campaigns may be successful for local marketing but in international markets, exposure under a larger brand banner will help all Sri Lankan exporters compete with other producing countries.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.1 and 3.2.2.
SME PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE MISSIONS IS LOW
SMEs, especially from regional areas, have low participation in international trade missions and B2B meetings. One of the main reasons is that SMEs do not see the value of attending international trade fairs, given the cost in comparison to the return on investment. Secondly, for those who do see value in attending such international trade missions, often they do not get adequate intelligent technical information on the specific destination market for them to make best use of the opportunities trade fairs and missions provide.
This constraint is addressed through PoA : 2.2.1 and 3.2.2.
19
[ imPrOviNg traDE iNfOrmatiON aND PrOmOtiON fOr sri LaNka’s ExPOrts ]
IMPROVING TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION FOR
SRI LANKA’S EXPORTS
THE VISION
TIP is a significant element of developing export competi-tiveness across Sri Lanka. Both the availability and quality of TIP is weak. Coordination among the institutions related to TIP is weak and has led to redundancies in some plac-es and gaps in service delivery in other areas. These and other constraints pose challenges for Sri Lankan exporters to access markets globally and will need to be addressed for successful exports. With that in mind, public and multi-sectoral private stakeholders crafted the following industry vision to bring Sri Lanka on a par with global standards for dissemination of TIP :
“ Enabling exporters to make strategic market decisions to promote
Sri Lanka’s trade ”THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
The PoA will respond to this vision by addressing the sec-tor’s constraints and leveraging opportunities in a compre-hensive manner. To this end, particular efforts will be made along the following strategic orientations :
Photo: (cc) pixabay
20
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Figure 8 : strategic objectives for tiP
• Establish a centralized, reliable, accessible and affordable export intelligence and promotion Strategic objective 1: Improve the quality, reliability, accessibility and affordability of trade information and trade promotion services.
Strategic objective 2: Build the capacity of SMEs and emerging exporters to collect and analyse trade information and conduct export promotion.
Strategic objective 3: Strategically augment trade promotion programmes with focused interventions.
portal to be a repository of information related to trade and promotion, and that is easily accessible to all stakeholders to assist them in exporting.
• Strengthen coordination for information -sharing between public and private stakeholders and between industry and sectoral chambers based in Colombo (national level) with regional chapters.
• Strengthen the TIP technical, managerial and administrative capacities and abilities of relevant sector officers, especially in regional centres, as well as trade attach és posted overseas in Sri Lankan missions, to improve exports.
• Build brand Sri Lanka strategically, not just overseas but also creating awareness withinthe country .
ESSENTIAL INTERVENTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS
With the globalization of the world economy, the cross-bor-der flow of goods and services is experiencing unprece-dented expansion, presenting many new opportunities. For instance, trade and investment have become more close-ly linked and are taking greater proportions of world trade, and are increasingly on the agendas of governmental, mul-tilateral and bilateral organizations’ negotiations. Following are the key essential interventions and adjustments required for the future state of Sri Lanka’s TIP TSF. This future state is exemplified through the above vision and these elements are all addressed through the cross-sector’s strategic PoA.
Based on challenges addressed earlier, it is suggested that Sri Lanka make the following priorities, with short, medium and long-term goals. Short-term means immediate to one year, medium is one to three years and long-term is beyond three years.
short-term goals :
� Establish a collaborative export intelligence and pro-motion portal ( unified repository of export-related information ).
� Strengthen TISIs’ ability to provide relevant and up-to-date information in a coordinated manner, as well as to provide trade promotion services. Especially target sup-port to public sector organizations.
medium-term goals :
� Provide targeted support to regional chambers of com-merce ( Jaffna, Kandy, Galle, Hambantota ).
� Develop the national branding and marketing position ( tag lines, logos, materials and dissemination channels ) and nominate a champion to lead these branding efforts across TISIs to ensure consistency.
Long-term goals :
� Implement the Sri Lankan exports/investment branding campaign with standardized materials distributed in aero-planes and at trade fairs, investment promotion, etc.
� Organize a standard periodic global synchronized event in all Sri Lanka missions overseas to promote Brand Sri Lanka, its exporters and investment opportunities.
Furthermore, it is important to assess the opportunities that may be available for exploitation in terms of products and locational priorities.
21
[ imPrOviNg traDE iNfOrmatiON aND PrOmOtiON fOr sri LaNka’s ExPOrts ]
sector Products / services
Agricultural and processed food products
• Processed food and beverages• Spices and concentrates• Tea• Rubber and rubber-based products• Fisheries• Organic and fair trade and/or socially certified products
Manufacturing • Boatbuilding• Electronics• Apparel and textiles• Gems and jewellery• Chemicals and plastics• Wood, toys, gifts, handicrafts and handloom• Footwear and leather• Ceramics, porcelain, glass, sands, metals and minerals• Paper, printing and packaging
Services • Tourism – including wellness, business and conventions, cultural, adventure and ecological package tours• Information and communications technology–business process management – software development, knowledge
processing centres, call centres• Regional logistics hub for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and South-East Asian markets
market priorities
• Sri Lankan diaspora worldwide• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries• China• South-East Asia• European Union, particularly Germany• United States and Canada• Japan• Republic of Korea• Chinese Taipei
Photo: (cc) pixabay
22
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
MOVING TO ACTION – IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK
The strategic enhancement of Sri Lanka’s exports depends on the availability of proper trade intelligence and informa-tion, and effective promotion campaigns. Achieving this am-bitious objective will depend on the ability of the requisite stakeholders to implement the activities defined in this TIP Strategy. As a primary intervention to structure sector de-velopment, it is recommended that the following steps be taken with priority :
� Establish a centralized, reliable, accessible and afford-able export intelligence and promotion portal to be a re-pository of information related to trade and promotion, and that is easily accessible to all stakeholders to assist them in exporting.
� Strengthen coordination for information-sharing between public and private stakeholders, and between industry and sectoral chambers based in Colombo ( national level ) with regional chapters.
� Strengthen the TIP technical, managerial and adminis-trative capacities and abilities of relevant sector officers, especially in regional centres, alongside those of trade attachés posted overseas in Sri Lankan missions.
� Build Brand Sri Lanka strategically, not just overseas but also creating awareness within the country.
An immediate quick win would be to organize a standard pe-riodic globally synchronized event in all trade missions over-seas to promote Brand Sri Lanka, its exports and investment opportunities, targeting specific sectoral goals.
Figure 9 : strategic and operational objectives
Strategic objective 1: Improve the quality, reliability, accesibility and affordability of trade information
and trade promotion services
Strategic objective 2: Build the capacity of SMEs and emerging exporters to collect
and analyse trade information and conduct export promotion
Strategic objective 3: Strategically augment trade promotion programmes
with focused interventions
Strenghen coordination between
public and private institutions for
efficient exchange of reliable trade
information and trade promotion services
Enhance regional chambers’ and institutions’ ability to support SMEs to
integrate into the export value chain through increased access to trade information and
export promotion services
Strengh TIS’s abilities to provide relevant
and up-to-date information in a
coordinated manner, and provide trade
promotion services (including online and
offline support)
Build Brand Sri Lanka and sector brands
Strenghten and expand the scope of promoting Sri Lanka
and its products through trade
attaches in overseas missions
Increase awareness of online information
and resources available under
promotional services
Implement a targetted capacity building
programme for SMEs and exporters to use
information and promotion services
efficiently
23
[ mOviNg tO actiON – imPLEmENtatiON framEWOrk ]
MANAGING FOR RESULTS
It is the translation of priorities into implementable projects that will achieve the substantial increase in export compet-itiveness and export earnings envisaged by the Strategy. These goals will be achieved by optimizing institutional sup-port to exporters and strengthening private sector capacities to respond to market opportunities and challenges. The al-location of human, financial and technical resources is re-quired to efficiently coordinate and implement the Strategy, and monitor overall implementation.
Successful execution of activities will depend on the ability of stakeholders to plan and coordinate actions in a tactical
manner. Diverse activities must be synchronized across public and private sector institutions to create sustainable results. Hence, it is necessary to foster an adequate envi-ronment and create an appropriate framework for Strategy implementation.
Key criteria for achieving the targets will be to coordinate activities, monitor progress and mobilize resources for im-plementation. To that effect, industry representatives recom-mended that a public–private ‘advisory committee’ for the TIP TSF be rapidly established, operationalized and empowered. The TIP advisory committee is to be responsible for overall coordination, provision of policy guidance and monitoring of industry development along the strategic orientations.
Figure 10 : institutional framework for tiP tsf development
‘Advisory committee’ fortrade information and promotion
MODSIT; MNPEA, MIC, MoFA, CBSL, BoI, DoC ; Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Reseach and Training Institute; IRD; AAS (SL) Ltd., SLPA; Sri Lankan Air Lines Limited, Registrar of companies; CCC; NCC; Hambantota Chamber of Commerce; FCCISL; NC, EDB
Investment and private sector initiatives aligned to strategic priorities
Implementation through National Budget Development partners’ projects
Cabinet
MoDSITNES management unit
Sri Lanka EDB coordination
TIP ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Export Development Act ( 1979 ) grants EDB the follow-ing power : ‘On advice from the Board, the Minister may, by Order in the Gazette, establish advisory committees for the development and promotion of certain products, prod-uct groups and commodities as well as functional aspects of trade’. Additionally, ‘each such advisory committee shall have the power to fix and regulate its own procedures, in-cluding the power to determine the number of members necessary to form a quorum at its meeting’. The advisory committees are ‘to advise the Board on any or all of the mat-ters which the Minister considers necessary for the purposes of giving effect to the principles and provisions of this Act’.
A TIP advisory committee has been established by Minister MoDSIT to enable the TIP institutions and private sector to strategically steer development of this key trade support
function. The TIP advisory committee is composed of the following members :
� Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade
� Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs � Ministry of Industry and Commerce � Ministry of Foreign Affairs � Central Bank of Sri Lanka � Board of Investment of Sri Lanka � Department of Commerce � Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training
Institute � Inland Revenue Department � Airport and Aviation Service ( SL ) Ltd. � Sri Lanka Port Authority � Sri Lankan Air Lines Limited � Registrar of companies
24
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
� Ceylon Chamber of Commerce � National Chamber of Commerce � Hambantota Chamber of Commerce � Federation of Chambers of Commerce � National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka � Sri Lanka Export Development Board
It is recommended that the advisory committee be em-powered to meet quarterly and implement the following functions :
i. Create a shared understanding of key market challenges and opportunities facing the sector ;
ii. Set goals and targets that, if achieved, will strengthen the sector’s competitive position and enhance Sri Lanka’s overall capacity to meet the changing demands of markets ;
iii. Propose key policy changes to be undertaken and pro-mote these policy changes among national decision makers ;
iv. Support the coordination, implementation and monitor-ing of activities in the sector by the Government, private sector, institutions or international organizations to en-sure alignment to goals and targets ; and, as required, contribute to resource identification and alignment.
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION
The presence of the advisory committee to oversee the im-plementation of the Strategy is a key success factor but it is not sufficient to effectively fulfil its assigned functions.
PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION IN IMPLEMENTATION
The private sector clearly expressed its willingness to con-tribute, directly or in partnership with public institutions, to implementation of the Strategy. Their implementation efforts
can range from providing business intelligence to institutions to contributing to project design, promotion and branding, policy advocacy, etc. In brief, the private sector’s practi-cal knowledge of business operations is essential to en-suring the Strategy remains aligned to market trends and opportunities.
PROACTIVE NETWORKING AND COMMUNICATION
The key implementing institutions detailed in the PoA have been consulted on the content of the Strategy and its impli-cations for their 2018–2023 programming. This networking and communication was essential to build ownership and provide institutions with the opportunity to confirm the ac-tivities to implement. It will be important for EDB, MoDSIT and members of the advisory committee to continue reach-ing out to relevant institutions nationally to create awareness and support for TIP strategy implementation.
RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
The advisory committee, in collaboration with EDB and the Trade Policy and NES Management Unit at MoDSIT, will need to leverage additional support for efficient implemen-tation. Effective planning and resource mobilization is indis-pensable in supporting Strategy implementation. Resource mobilization should be carefully planned and organized.
As the TIP function is a priority of the NES, the Government of Sri Lanka is defining annual budget allocations and sup-port to drive growth. This commitment demonstrates clear engagement in strengthening the function and encourage private partners to support development.
The various implementation modalities detailed will deter-mine the success of Strategy implementation. However, high-level support from the Government, in collaboration with strong championship by the private sector, will be the real driver of successful implementation.
To achieve the vision and strategic objectives discussed, a robust, actionable and realistic strategic PoA is required. This is provided in the section below and constitutes the heart of this Strategy.
The PoA is structured along the three strategic objectives and the operational objectives described above. For each objective, the PoA outlines detailed activities and their means of implementation, which include :
• Priority level : Priority 1 being the highest and 3 the lowest.• Start / end dates : The desired time frame of the activity.
• Targets : Quantifiable targets that allow completion monitor-ing of each activity during implementation.
• Leading implementer : One single accountable lead institu-tion per activity. ( The institution may also have a technical role or may have solely an oversight and coordination role. )
• Supporting implementing partners : Any institu-tion that should be involved at any stage of the activity’s implementation.
• Indicative Costs ( US $ ) : An estimate of the activity’s cost for the total implementation period.
26
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Stra
tegi
c ob
ject
ives
Oper
atio
nal
obje
ctiv
esAc
tivity
Prio
rity
Star
t dat
eEn
d da
teTa
rget
sLe
adin
g im
plem
ente
r Su
ppor
ting
impl
emen
ting
part
ners
Indi
cativ
e co
sts
( US $
)1 :
Impr
ove
the
qual
ity, r
elia
bilit
y,
acce
ssib
ility
and
affo
rdab
ility
of
trade
info
rmat
ion
and
trade
pr
omot
ion
serv
ices
.
1.1 :
Stre
ngth
en
coor
dina
tion
betw
een
publ
ic
and
priv
ate
inst
itutio
ns fo
r ef
ficie
nt e
xcha
nge
of re
liabl
e tra
de
info
rmat
ion
and
trade
pro
mot
ion
serv
ices
.
1.1.
1 Se
t up
a te
chni
cal s
teer
ing
com
mitt
ee w
ith a
n of
ficia
l m
anda
te to
est
ablis
h th
e co
llabo
rativ
e ex
port
inte
llige
nce
and
prom
otio
n po
rtal (
unifi
ed re
posi
tory
of t
rade
-rela
ted
info
rma-
tion )
, and
form
alize
a p
roto
col o
f col
labo
ratio
n de
linea
ting
the
role
s an
d re
spon
sibi
litie
s of
inst
itutio
ns o
f the
Sri
Lank
an
trade
info
rmat
ion
com
mun
ity. R
epor
ting
proc
edur
es, v
alid
a-tio
ns, t
empl
ates
and
tim
elin
es to
be
stan
dard
ized.
101
/ 04 /
2018
30 / 0
6 / 20
18•
Mem
oran
dum
of
unde
rsta
ndin
g on
col
labo
ratio
n es
tabl
ishe
d be
twee
n ke
y tra
de in
form
atio
n pr
ovid
ers
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Cent
ral B
ank
of S
ri La
nka ;
M
inis
try o
f Ind
ustry
and
Co
mm
erce
; Sri
Lank
a Cu
s-to
ms
1500
0
1.1.
2 Ba
sed
on th
e te
rms
of re
fere
nce
for t
he “
expo
rt in
tel-
ligen
ce a
nd p
rom
otio
n po
rtal”
def
ined
by
the
tech
nica
l co
mm
ittee
cal
l for
pro
posa
ls fr
om S
ri La
nkan
info
rmat
ion
tech
nolo
gy c
ompa
nies
to e
stab
lish
the
requ
ired
softw
are
and
mai
nten
ance
sup
port
for a
per
iod
of fi
ve y
ears
. Thi
s in
clud
es
prov
isio
n of
a fi
nanc
ial g
rant
and
nec
essa
ry a
ppro
vals
from
th
e Go
vern
men
t for
act
ivat
ion
of a
nat
iona
l onl
ine
repo
sito
ry
( e-tr
ade
info
rmat
ion
plat
form
) in
Engl
ish,
Sin
hala
and
Tam
il.
101
/ 07 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
18•
Call
for p
ropo
sal
com
plet
ed•
Netw
ork
infra
stru
ctur
e de
fined
and
im
plem
ente
d
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Min
istry
of I
ndus
try a
nd
Com
mer
ce ; I
nfor
mat
ion
and
Com
mun
icat
ion
Tech
nol-
ogy
Agen
cy ( I
CTA )
; Cey
lon
Cham
ber o
f Com
mer
ce
( CCC
)
7000
00
1.1.
3 Te
chni
cal s
teer
ing
com
mitt
ee to
org
anize
qua
rterly
tech
-ni
cal r
evie
w m
eetin
gs to
revi
ew th
e qu
ality
of t
he in
form
atio
n up
load
ed to
the
porta
l. Th
ese
quar
terly
mee
tings
will
con
trol
the
qual
ity o
f inf
orm
atio
n pr
ovid
ed b
y th
e po
rtal.
101
/ 01 /
2019
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Quar
terly
mee
tings
or
gani
zed
and
them
atic
tra
de in
form
atio
n re
view
ed
• Qu
ality
of t
he d
ata
and
info
rmat
ion
kept
to a
hi
gh s
tand
ard
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Cent
ral B
ank
of S
ri La
nka ;
Sr
i Lan
ka C
usto
ms ;
Cey
lon
Cham
ber o
f Com
mer
ce
( CCC
)
5000
1.1.
4 Ho
ld a
twic
e-ye
arly
roun
d ta
ble
betw
een
indu
stry
rep-
rese
ntat
ives
and
dat
a pr
ovid
ers,
in o
rder
to d
iscu
ss th
e re
le-
vanc
e an
d qu
ality
of t
he in
form
atio
n pr
ovid
ed. T
his
will
ensu
re
high
-qua
lity
data
and
info
rmat
ion
is p
rovi
ded.
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Twic
e-ye
arly
revi
ew o
f th
e re
leva
nce
of tr
ade
data
com
plet
ed
• Qu
ality
of i
nfor
mat
ion
and
data
kep
t to
a hi
gh
stan
dard
s
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Cent
ral B
ank
of S
ri La
nka ;
M
inis
try o
f Ind
ustry
and
Co
mm
erce
; Sri
Lank
a Cu
s-to
ms
1000
0
1.2 :
Stre
ngth
TI
SIs’
abi
lity
to
prov
ide
rele
vant
an
d up
-to-d
ate
info
rmat
ion
in
a co
ordi
nate
d m
anne
r, an
d pr
ovid
e tra
de
prom
otio
n se
rvic
es
( incl
udin
g on
line
and
offli
ne
supp
ort )
.
1.2.
1 St
reng
then
cap
acity
by
prov
idin
g tra
inin
g fo
r rel
evan
t se
ctor
offi
cers
and
regi
onal
offi
cers
( as
per t
he in
stitu
tiona
l lis
t ) to
:
• Ga
ther
requ
isite
dat
a an
d in
form
atio
n, o
n bo
th s
ecto
rs a
nd
mar
kets
.•
Deve
lop
rele
vant
mar
ket /
pro
duct
pro
files
bas
ed o
n in
dust
ry n
eeds
.•
Expa
nd s
uppo
rt to
iden
tify
and
prep
are
for s
ecto
r-rel
ated
fa
irs in
targ
et m
arke
ts.
• Su
ppor
t pre
para
tion
of m
arke
ting
mat
eria
ls fo
r ove
rsea
s m
issi
ons.
Inst
itutio
n Li
st :
• CB
SL•
Depa
rtmen
t of C
ensu
s an
d St
atis
tics
• SL
C•
Depa
rtmen
t of I
mpo
rt an
d Ex
port
Cont
rol
• BO
I•
Sri L
anka
Sta
ndar
ds In
stitu
te
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Quar
terly
trai
ning
of s
taff
of v
ario
us d
epar
tmen
ts
of th
e Go
vern
men
t of
Sri L
anka
on
key
TIP
tech
niqu
es
Min
istry
of D
e-ve
lopm
ent S
trat-
egie
s an
d In
ter-
natio
nal T
rade
Min
istry
of F
inan
ce ; E
xpor
t De
velo
pmen
t Boa
rd ; E
xpor
t-er
s As
soci
atio
n of
Sri
Lank
a ;
The
Ceyl
on N
atio
nal C
ham
ber
of In
dust
ries;
Cey
lon
Cham
-be
r of C
omm
erce
( CCC
) ; N
a-tio
nal C
ham
ber o
f Exp
orte
rs
of S
ri La
nka
( NCE
)
5000
0
27
[ PLaN Of actiON 2018–2022 ]
Stra
tegi
c ob
ject
ives
Oper
atio
nal
obje
ctiv
esAc
tivity
Prio
rity
Star
t dat
eEn
d da
teTa
rget
sLe
adin
g im
plem
ente
r Su
ppor
ting
impl
emen
ting
part
ners
Indi
cativ
e co
sts
( US $
)1 :
Impr
ove
the
qual
ity, r
elia
bilit
y,
acce
ssib
ility
and
affo
rdab
ility
of
trade
info
rmat
ion
and
trade
pr
omot
ion
serv
ices
.
1.2 :
Stre
ngth
TI
SIs’
abi
lity
to
prov
ide
rele
vant
an
d up
-to-d
ate
info
rmat
ion
in
a co
ordi
nate
d m
anne
r, an
d pr
ovid
e tra
de
prom
otio
n se
rvic
es
( incl
udin
g on
line
and
offli
ne
supp
ort )
.
1.2.
2 En
hanc
e th
e ab
ility
of t
rade
atta
chés
by
prov
idin
g tra
in-
ing
when
they
are
pos
ted
inte
rnat
iona
lly, o
n :
• Pr
iorit
y pr
oduc
ts to
pro
mot
e in
des
tinat
ion
mar
kets
.•
Iden
tific
atio
n of
buy
ers
and
inve
stor
s as
per
prio
ritie
s fo
r in
dust
ry g
rowt
h.•
Use
of tr
ade
prom
otio
n to
ols.
• Va
rious
bra
nds
of S
ri La
nka.
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Quar
terly
trai
ning
of
trade
atta
chés
• W
ell-e
quip
ped
trade
at
tach
és
• In
crea
sed
trade
en
quiri
es a
nd im
prov
ed
inte
rnat
iona
l tra
de
Min
istry
of I
n-du
stry
and
Com
-m
erce
Min
istry
of F
inan
ce25
0000
1.3 :
Enh
ance
re
gion
al
cham
bers
’ and
in
stitu
tions
’ abi
lity
to s
uppo
rt S
MEs
to
inte
grat
e in
to
the
expo
rt v
alue
ch
ain
thro
ugh
incr
ease
d ac
cess
to tr
ade
info
rmat
ion
and
expo
rt p
rom
otio
n se
rvic
es.
1.3.
1 Pr
ovid
e ta
rget
ed tr
aini
ng s
uppo
rt to
regi
onal
cha
mbe
rs
( Jaf
fna,
Kan
dy, G
alle
, Ham
bant
ota )
to in
crea
se th
e av
aila
bilit
y of
up-
to d
ate
info
rmat
ion
for t
heir
mem
bers
by :
• Es
tabl
ishi
ng a
sin
gle
wind
ow ( c
onta
ct in
stitu
tion )
for
regi
onal
cha
mbe
rs to
see
k tra
de-re
late
d da
ta.
• Es
tabl
ishi
ng a
n ac
cess
cod
e fo
r reg
iona
l cha
mbe
rs to
ac
cess
exp
ort i
ntel
ligen
ce a
nd p
rom
otio
n po
rtal.
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Quar
terly
trai
ning
of s
taff
at re
gion
al le
vel
• Tr
aine
d pe
rson
nel i
n re
gion
al c
ham
bers
to
acce
ss p
oten
tial e
xpor
ts
of S
ri La
nka
• Du
e to
a To
T pr
ogra
mm
e, m
ore
and
mor
e pe
rson
nel c
an b
e tra
ined
in re
gion
al a
reas
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Natio
nal E
nter
pris
e De
vel-
opm
ent A
utho
rity ;
Cey
lon
Cham
ber o
f Com
mer
ce
( CCC
) ; N
atio
nal C
ham
ber o
f Ex
porte
rs o
f Sri
Lank
a ( N
CE )
5000
0
1.3.
2 Es
tabl
ish
regi
onal
exp
ort a
dvis
ory
com
mitt
ees
( pub
lic–
priv
ate
repr
esen
tativ
es ) i
n ke
y re
gion
s ( J
affn
a, K
andy
, Gal
le,
Ham
bant
ota,
etc
. ) an
d su
ppor
t qua
rterly
mee
tings
to :
• Co
nfirm
the
stra
tegi
c m
arke
t orie
ntat
ion
of k
ey re
gion
al
indu
strie
s.•
Plan
ann
ual i
mpl
emen
tatio
n of
regi
onal
exp
ort-r
elat
ed
proj
ects
.•
Trac
k im
plem
enta
tion
prog
ress
of r
egio
nal p
roje
cts
by le
ad
impl
emen
ters
.•
Asse
ss a
dequ
ate
supp
ort m
echa
nism
s ( p
olic
y, re
gula
tions
, in
stitu
tions
, etc
. ).
201
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Quar
terly
mee
tings
hel
d in
all
prio
rity
regi
ons
• Re
gion
al m
arke
t in
telli
genc
e m
ade
avai
labl
e fo
r nat
iona
l pr
iorit
ies
• Re
gula
r tra
ckin
g of
trad
e op
portu
nitie
s in
regi
onal
ce
ntre
s
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Min
istry
of R
egio
nal D
evel
op-
men
t ; Ce
ylon
Cha
mbe
r of
Com
mer
ce ( C
CC ) ;
Nat
iona
l Ch
ambe
r of E
xpor
ters
of
Sri L
anka
( NCE
)
1000
0
2 : B
uild
the
capa
city
of S
MEs
an
d em
ergi
ng
expo
rter
s to
co
llect
and
an
alys
e tra
de
info
rmat
ion
and
cond
uct e
xpor
t pr
omot
ion.
2.1 :
Incr
ease
aw
aren
ess
of
onlin
e in
form
atio
n an
d re
sour
ces
avai
labl
e un
der
prom
otio
nal
serv
ices
.
2.1.
1 Im
plem
ent a
nat
ionw
ide
prom
otio
n ca
mpa
ign
in E
ng-
lish,
Sin
hala
and
Tam
il, in
bot
h tra
ditio
nal a
nd o
nlin
e m
edia
, to
info
rm S
MEs
and
exp
orte
rs o
f ava
ilabl
e TI
P se
rvic
es, a
nd
pres
ent t
he fo
cal i
nstit
utio
ns a
t nat
iona
l and
regi
onal
leve
ls.
301
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Targ
eted
pro
mot
iona
l ca
mpa
ign
laun
ched
and
im
plem
ente
d •
Mor
e SM
Es a
cces
s tra
de
data
and
info
rmat
ion
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Min
istry
of I
ndus
try a
nd
Com
mer
ce ; M
inis
try o
f De-
velo
pmen
t Stra
tegi
es a
nd
Inte
rnat
iona
l Tra
de ; C
eylo
n Ch
ambe
r of C
omm
erce
( C
CC )
2000
0
28
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
Stra
tegi
c ob
ject
ives
Oper
atio
nal
obje
ctiv
esAc
tivity
Prio
rity
Star
t dat
eEn
d da
teTa
rget
sLe
adin
g im
plem
ente
r Su
ppor
ting
impl
emen
ting
part
ners
Indi
cativ
e co
sts
( US $
)2 :
Bui
ld th
e ca
paci
ty o
f SM
Es
and
emer
ging
ex
port
ers
to
colle
ct a
nd
anal
yse
trade
in
form
atio
n an
d co
nduc
t exp
ort
prom
otio
n.
2.1 :
Incr
ease
aw
aren
ess
of
onlin
e in
form
atio
n an
d re
sour
ces
avai
labl
e un
der
prom
otio
nal
serv
ices
.
2.1.
2 Cr
eate
e-le
arni
ng v
ideo
s an
d to
ols
to tr
ain
pros
pec-
tive
expo
rters
on
trade
info
rmat
ion
colle
ctio
n / a
naly
sis
and
effic
ient
exp
ort p
rom
otio
n. V
ideo
s to
be
mad
e av
aila
ble
on
the
expo
rt in
telli
genc
e an
d pr
omot
ion
porta
l. Up
date
mod
ules
ev
ery
year
.
201
/ 01 /
2019
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Onlin
e se
ries
of
e-le
arni
ng m
odul
es
avai
labl
e an
d up
date
d ye
arly
• In
crea
sed
awar
enes
s of
ex
porte
rs a
nd p
ossi
ble
incr
ease
d ex
ports
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Min
istry
of I
ndus
try a
nd
Com
mer
ce ; I
nfor
mat
ion
and
Com
mun
icat
ion
Tech
nol-
ogy
Agen
cy ( I
CTA )
; Cey
lon
Cham
ber o
f Com
mer
ce
( CCC
)
1000
00
2.2 :
Impl
emen
t a
targ
eted
ca
paci
ty-b
uild
ing
prog
ram
me
for S
MEs
and
ex
port
ers
to
effic
ient
ly u
se
info
rmat
ion
and
prom
otio
n se
rvic
es.
2.2.
1 De
velo
p an
d ro
ll ou
t a s
tand
ardi
zed
train
ing
cour
se,
perio
dica
lly, t
o bu
ild th
e ca
paci
ties
of s
ecto
r ass
ocia
tions
( e
.g. S
ri La
nka
Ener
gy M
anag
ers
Asso
ciat
ion,
Spi
ce C
ounc
il,
etc.
) and
regi
onal
cha
mbe
rs in
onl
ine
rese
arch
, dat
a co
llec-
tion,
mar
ket p
rofil
ing,
mar
ketin
g / p
rom
otio
n te
chni
ques
, and
pr
epar
atio
n fo
r tra
de fa
irs.
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Stan
dard
sim
ple
train
ing
mod
ules
des
igne
d•
Trai
ning
pro
vide
d to
Col
ombo
-bas
ed
asso
ciat
ions
and
ToTs
fo
r reg
iona
l out
reac
h
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Ceyl
on C
ham
ber o
f Com
-m
erce
( CCC
) ; D
epar
tmen
t of
Com
mer
ce
5000
0
2.2.
2 Im
plem
ent a
ToT
prog
ram
me
to re
ach
out t
o re
gion
al
cham
bers
and
sec
tor a
ssoc
iatio
ns w
ith s
tand
ardi
zed
train
ing
cour
ses
on tr
ade
anal
ysis
and
pro
mot
ion.
ToT
shou
ld b
e ta
r-ge
ted
at g
over
nmen
t ‘di
stric
t dev
elop
men
t offi
cers
’.
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
A po
ol o
f tra
ined
tra
iner
s to
dis
sem
inat
e in
form
atio
n in
regi
onal
ar
eas
is e
stab
lishe
d
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Min
istry
of I
ndus
try a
nd
Com
mer
ce ; C
ham
ber o
f Yo
ung
Lank
an E
ntre
pren
eurs
; Ch
ambe
r of C
onst
ruct
ion
Indu
strie
s, S
ri La
nka;
The
Ce
ylon
Nat
iona
l Cha
mbe
r of
Indu
strie
s; C
eylo
n Ch
am-
ber o
f Com
mer
ce ( C
CC ) ;
Na
tiona
l Cha
mbe
r of E
x-po
rters
of S
ri La
nka
( NCE
); Fe
dera
tion
of C
ham
bers
of
Com
mer
ce in
Sri
Lank
a ( F
C-CI
SL ) ;
Yal
pana
m C
ham
ber
of C
omm
erce
; Ham
ban-
tota
Cha
mbe
r Of C
omm
erce
; Ce
ntra
l Pro
vinc
e Ch
ambe
r of
Com
mer
ce ; C
entra
l Pro
vinc
e W
omen
’s C
ham
ber o
f Com
-m
erce
& In
dust
ry ; C
ham
ber
of C
omm
erce
and
Indu
strie
s Tr
inco
mal
ee D
istri
ct ; B
at-
tical
oa D
istri
ct C
ham
ber o
f Co
mm
erce
and
Indu
stry
; Am
para
Dis
trict
Cha
mbe
r of
Com
mer
ce &
Indu
strie
s
5000
0
29
[ PLaN Of actiON 2018–2022 ]
Stra
tegi
c ob
ject
ives
Oper
atio
nal
obje
ctiv
esAc
tivity
Prio
rity
Star
t dat
eEn
d da
teTa
rget
sLe
adin
g im
plem
ente
r Su
ppor
ting
impl
emen
ting
part
ners
Indi
cativ
e co
sts
( US $
)3 :
Stra
tegi
cally
au
gmen
t tra
de
prom
otio
n pr
ogra
mm
es
with
focu
sed
inte
rven
tions
.
3.1 :
Bui
ld B
rand
Sr
i Lan
ka a
nd
sect
or b
rand
s.
3.1.
1 Su
ppor
t and
enh
ance
the
alre
ady
esta
blis
hed
Natio
nal
Expo
rt an
d In
vest
men
t Bra
ndin
g Co
mm
ittee
at t
he E
DB, c
om-
pose
d of
pub
lic a
nd p
rivat
e st
akeh
olde
rs, a
s pe
r the
bud
get
anno
unce
men
t of N
ovem
ber 2
016.
Ass
ist t
he C
omm
ittee
to :
• De
velo
p th
e na
tiona
l bra
ndin
g an
d m
arke
ting
posi
tion
( tag
lines
, log
os, m
ater
ials
and
dis
sem
inat
ion
chan
nels
).•
Supp
ort s
ecto
r ass
ocia
tions
to p
repa
re s
tand
ard
indu
stry
pr
omot
ion
broc
hure
s hi
ghlig
htin
g pr
oduc
ts a
nd e
nter
pris
es.
• Im
plem
ent t
he S
ri La
nkan
exp
orts
/ in
vest
men
t bra
ndin
g ca
mpa
ign
with
sta
ndar
dize
d m
ater
ials
dis
tribu
ted
in
aero
plan
es a
nd a
t tra
de fa
irs, i
nves
tmen
t pro
mot
ion,
etc
.•
Prep
are
‘sta
ndar
d pa
ckag
es’ t
o pr
omot
e in
divi
dual
sec
tors
an
d Sr
i Lan
kan
ente
rpris
es th
roug
h ov
erse
as m
issi
ons
( com
mer
cial
atta
chés
).
101
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
20•
The
Natio
nal E
xpor
t and
In
vest
men
t Bra
ndin
g Co
mm
ittee
is s
uppo
rted
• Na
tiona
l exp
ort a
nd
inve
stm
ent b
rand
ing
posi
tion
and
mat
eria
l re
ady
for d
isse
min
atio
n
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Min
istry
of N
atio
nal P
olic
ies
and
Econ
omic
Affa
irs ; M
inis
-try
of D
evel
opm
ent S
trate
gies
an
d In
tern
atio
nal T
rade
; Cey
-lo
n Ch
ambe
r of C
omm
erce
( C
CC )
2000
000
3.1.
2 Or
gani
ze a
sta
ndar
d pe
riodi
c gl
obal
ly s
ynch
roni
zed
even
t in
all S
ri La
nkan
mis
sion
s ov
erse
as to
pro
mot
e Br
and
Sri L
anka
, its
exp
orts
and
inve
stm
ent o
ppor
tuni
ties.
201
/ 01 /
2019
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Perio
dic
sync
hron
ized
glob
al e
vent
s ov
erse
as•
The
Sri L
anka
n br
and
and
its tr
ade
oppo
rtuni
ties
is
prom
oted
Min
istry
of F
or-
eign
Affa
irsBo
ard
of In
vest
men
t ( BO
I ) ;
Expo
rt De
velo
pmen
t Boa
rd ;
Ceyl
on C
ham
ber o
f Com
-m
erce
( CCC
)
1000
00
3.1.
3 Or
gani
ze a
n an
nual
inte
rnat
iona
l tra
de fa
ir in
Sri
Lank
a,
invi
ting
impo
rters
and
buy
ers
from
all
over
the
world
to e
x-po
se S
ri La
nkan
bra
nds.
201
/ 09 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Annu
al e
vent
in
Sri L
anka
• Sr
i Lan
kan
bran
ds
prom
oted
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Ceyl
on C
ham
ber o
f Com
-m
erce
( CCC
) ; N
atio
nal
Cham
ber o
f Exp
orte
rs o
f Sr
i Lan
ka ( N
CE )
5000
00
3.2 :
Stre
ngth
en
and
expa
nd
the
scop
e of
pr
omot
ing
Sri L
anka
and
its
prod
ucts
thro
ugh
trade
atta
chés
in
Sri
Lank
a m
issi
ons
over
seas
un
der t
he d
irect
su
perv
isio
n of
the
Head
of
Mis
sion
/ Pos
t.
3.2.
1 Co
mm
erci
al a
ttach
és to
iden
tify
all t
rade
fairs
and
com
-m
erci
al e
vent
s re
late
d to
prio
rity
expo
rt se
ctor
s an
d up
date
th
e lis
t of e
vent
s on
the
expo
rt in
telli
genc
e an
d pr
omot
ion
porta
l.
201
/ 01 /
2019
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
All n
atio
nal t
rade
fairs
in
targ
et m
arke
ts’
surv
eys
and
info
rmat
ion
shar
ed th
roug
h th
e ex
port
inte
llige
nce
and
prom
otio
n po
rtal
Min
istry
of F
or-
eign
Affa
irsBo
ard
of In
vest
men
t ( BO
I ) ;
Expo
rt De
velo
pmen
t Boa
rd ;
Ceyl
on C
ham
ber o
f Com
-m
erce
( CCC
)
5400
0
3.2.
2 Fo
r prio
rity
fairs
, EDB
, DoC
and
com
mer
cial
atta
chés
to
coor
dina
te w
ith s
ecto
r ass
ocia
tions
to p
repa
re fo
r mee
tings
wi
th p
oten
tial b
uyer
s or
inve
stor
s du
ring
the
fairs
. Pro
vide
tra
inin
gs in
adv
ance
of o
vers
eas
mis
sion
s.
201
/ 04 /
2018
31 / 1
2 / 20
22•
Info
rmat
ion
abou
t buy
ers
in d
estin
atio
n m
arke
ts
colle
cted
and
pro
files
co
mpl
eted
• Ex
porte
rs ta
rget
thei
r m
ater
ial t
o bu
yer p
rofil
es
Expo
rt De
velo
p-m
ent B
oard
Boar
d of
Inve
stm
ent (
BOI ) ;
Ce
ylon
Cha
mbe
r of C
om-
mer
ce ( C
CC ) ;
Dep
artm
ent o
f Co
mm
erce
1000
00
30
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
APPENDIX : LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS
No. Name Designation Name of institution
1 Mr. T. Kiritharan Assistant Director Agriculture & Agrarian Insurance Board
2 Mr. D.J.U. Purasinghe Senior Assistant Airport Manager Airport & Aviation Services ( Sri Lanka ) Limited
3 Mr. Wasantha Kumara Jayasena Chief Executive Officer Ampara District Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture
4 Mr. M.H.M. Naleem Vice President Batticaloa District Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture
5 Ms. Nilupul De Silva Director - Promotion Board of Investment ( BOI )
6 Mr. Jayamenon Senior Deputy Director Board of investment ( BOI ) - Jaffna
7 Ms. Jeewani Sewwandi Liyanapathirana
Research Officer Board of Investment ( BOI )
8 Mrs. W.A. Dilrukshini Additional Director Central Bank of Sri Lanka
9 Mr. S. Sayakkara - Central Province Women’s Chamber of Small Industries and Commerce
10 Mrs. Shirley Jayawardane Chairperson Central Province Women’s Chamber of Small Industries and Commerce
11 Ms. M. Ariyarathne - Central Province Women’s Chamber of Small Industries and Commerce
12 Ms. Lilakshini De Mel Senior Assistant Secretary General Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
13 Ms. Jayani Ratnayake Economist Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
14 Mr. Ashoka Abeywickrama Chief Executive Officer Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Central Province
15 Mr. T. Jurison Jenaraj Chief Executive Officer Chamber of Commerce & Industries of Yalpanam
16 Mr. H.M. Sudath Chief Executive Officer Chamber of Provincial Entrepreneurs ( COPE )
17 Mr. Anslem Perera Chairman Colombo Tea Traders’ Association
18 Mr. P.M.P. Anura Kumara Additional DG Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka
19 Ms. Ishanthi Kulathilake Senior Statistician Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka
20 Ms. Chamini Wijayapala Statistician Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka
21 Ms. Gothami Silva Director of Commerce Department of Commerce
22 Mr. G.L Gnanatheva Deputy Director Department of Commerce
23 Mr. D.M. Rathnayake Deputy Director Department of Commerce
24 Mr. Alexi Gunasekera Deputy Director Department of Commerce
25 Ms. Kishani Wickramasinghe Assistant Director Department of Commerce
26 Mr. M. Sivakumaran Samurdhi Manager Department of Divi Neguma Development
27 Mr. J. Suthakaran Assistant Director Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ( DFAR )
28 Mrs. P. Beneraj District Officer Department of Industries - Northern Province
29 Ms. Anjalika Gunasekara Director Department of National Planning
30 Ms. Chandrika Senanayake Additional Director - Department of Project Management & Monitoring
Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs
31 Mr. Sirankan Assistant Director of Planning District Secretariat, Chudikkuli
31
[ PLaN Of actiON 2018–2022 ]
No. Name Designation Name of institution
32 Mr. N. Gawrithassan Assistant Director Planning District Secretariat, Kilinochchi
33 Mr. T. Thireshkumar Additional District Secretary District Secretariat, Vavuniya
34 Mr. Harin De Silva Chairman Exporters Association of Sri Lanka ( EASL )
35 Ms. P.A.J. Champika Research Officer Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute ( HARTI )
36 Mrs. N. Nimalka Dias Past Controller General Import and Export Control Department ( IECD )
37 Mr. S. Sivakangatharan Deputy Director Industrial Development Board
38 Dr. Janaka Wijayasiri Research Fellow Institute of Policy Studies ( IPS )
39 Mr. V. Sritharan Administrative Officer Jaffna Chamber Of Commerce
40 Mr. Tuli Cooray Secretary General Joint Apparel Association Forum ( JAAF )
41 Mr. Suresh D. De Mel Director Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce
42 Mr. S.T. Abouthali AD / FCAU Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine
43 Mr. M. Bakerathan Development Officer Ministry of Agriculture, Northern Province
44 Ms. Gamani Liyanarachchi Director Ministry of Development Strategies & International Trade ( MODSIT )
45 Mr. Deyanath Kulatunga - Ministry of Development Strategies & International Trade ( MODSIT )
46 Mr. Jagath Murage Director - Department of Trade Investment Policy
Ministry of Finance
47 Mr. Kapila Fonseka Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs
48 Ms. Subhashini Silva Assistant Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs
49 Mr. U.G. Ratnasiri Additional Secretary - Economic Affairs Ministry of National Policies & Economic Affairs
50 Dr. Kumudini Gunasekara Agri Business Specialist Ministry of Primary Industries
51 Mr. Sapumal Kapukotuwa Value Chain Specialist Ministry of Primary industries ASMP - World Bank
52 Mr. Shiham Marikar Secretary General / CEO National Chamber of Exporters
53 Ms. Linda Motha Senior Executive -Technical Service National Chamber of Exporters
54 Mr. Kapila Sumanapala Director Administration Neil Fernando and Company ( Pvt ) Ltd
55 Mr. Canagaratnam Sabeson Head of Key Accounts Renuka Agri Foods PLC
56 Mr. Suresh A. Silva Managing Director / Group Chief Executive
S A Silva & Sons Lanka ( Pvt ) Ltd
57 Mr. Janaka Munasinghe Senior Manager – Worldwide Cargo Operations
Sri Lanka Airlines Limited
58 Mr. Tyrone Gunawardane Manager - Cargo Sri Lankan Airlines Limited
59 Mr. S. Mahesan Director ( Exports ) Sri Lanka Customs
60 Mr. Sudaththa Silva Superintendent Customs Sri Lanka Customs / ASYCUDA World and Border Alerts Management Team
61 Mr. K.A.K.N.D. Dharmapala Assistant Superintendent of Customs Sri Lanka Customs
62 Mr. Maliek De Alwis President Sri Lanka Food Processors Association ( SLFPA )
63 Mr. Dhammika Gunasekara Hon Secretary The Spice Council
64 Mr. Suranjith Swaris Vice President - Events Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
65 Mr. Pradeep Edward Vice President - Education Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
66 Mr. Dehan Seneviratne Manager / Marketing Consultant Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
32
[ SRI LANKA TRADE INFORMATION AND PROMOTION STRATEGY ]
No. Name Designation Name of institution
67 Mr. Upali De Zoysa Director – Logistics Sri Lanka Ports Authority
68 Mr. N.J. Chrisso De Mel Chairman Sri Lanka Shipper’s Council
69 Mr. M.C. Sampath Perera Assistant Director Sri Lanka Tea Board
70 Mr. Nalaka Sanjeewa Market Analyst Sri Lanka Tea Board
71 Mr. T. Niroshan - Sun Coir Industry
72 Prof. Velnampy Dean / Faculty of Management University of Jaffna
73 Mr. Ravi Dissanayake Senior Lecturer University of Kelaniya
74 Ms. Subhashini Abeysinghe Head of Economics Verite Research
75 Ms. Hasna Munas Research Analyst Verite Research
76 Mr. A. Kayansan - Yalpanam Chamber of Commerce
77 Ms. Anoma Premathilaka Director – Market Developments Export Development Board
78 Mr. S.R.P. Indrakeerthi Director - Trade Facilitation & Trade Information
Export Development Board
79 Ms. Indu Alahapperuma Director - Information Technology Export Development Board
80 Ms. Chitranjali Dissanayake Director - Industrial Products Export Development Board
81 Mr. Saman Sisil Deputy Director Export Development Board
REFERENCES
International Monetary Fund ( 2016 ). Sri Lanka – Staff Report for the 2016 Article IV Consultation and Request for a Three-Year Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility. IMF Country Report No. 16 / 150. Washington, D.C.