Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka president warns of external fallout
Feb 04, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa warned of possible fallouts from a weak global economy during a speech to mark the island’s independence from British rule. “The economic crises in the world also affect our country,” the English text of President Rajapaksa’s speech delivered in Anuradhapura, an ancient capital of the […]
2012 rice trade to fall in weaker demand: FAO
BANGKOK, (Asia Pulse) – The international rice trade is forecast to fall by approximately 1 million tonnes, or 5 per cent, this year as improved harvest prospects in several major importing countries may reduce overall demand after achieving a worldwide record of 34.5 million tonnes (milled basis) in 2011, according to the United Nations’ Food […]
‘s drainage, wetlands boosted with World Bank credit
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will boost drainage to reduce flooding and improve the wetlands around the capital Colombo in a 223 million dollar project which will be mostly financed with a World Bank credit. The government has negotiated a 213 million dollar credit to develop the Colombo metropolitan area under the Metro […]
Sri Lanka mounts an interest rate defence on peg
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank hiked rates by 50 basis points to 9. 0 percent mounting an interest rate defence of its peg with the US dollar, and slapped a credit ceiling as foreign reserves fell by a quarter in 2011 due to high loan growth. The Central Bank said its […]
Sri Lanka monetary tightening welcomed by IMF – Update
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – A hike in rates and a credit ceiling to rein in loan growth would help narrow a widening external deficit in Sri Lanka, but exchange rate flexibility should be part of the policy package, the International Monetary Fund said. Strong credit growth put pressure on Sri Lanka’s peg with the […]
Sri Lanka Textured Jersey December quarter net down 29-pct
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Textured Jersey Lanka, a unit of Brandix, an apparel export group, said net profit fell 29 percent in the December 2011 quarter from a year ago. Net profit in the nine months ending December 31, 2011 fell 11 percent to 409 million rupees from a year ago. Sales […]
Sri Lanka tea farmers hurt by Middle East unrest
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lankan small farmers are suffering because of a downturn in demand for tea from key markets in the Middle East owing to political unrest, an industry official said. Goonetilleke said 2012 had not started off well for the tea growers and factories producing low grown teas whose main market […]
Sri Lanka Keells Hotels net up 39-pct in December
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Keells Hotels Plc, the leisure unit of Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings group said net profits in the December 2011 quarter rose 39 percent to 285 million rupees from a year earlier. The firm reported earnings of 20 cents per share. For the nine months to December the firm said […]
Sri Lanka shares end down 0.3-pct
Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed weaker Friday for the fourth straight day in dull trade despite the central bank announcing it was allowing foreign firms to give margin loans for share trading, brokers said. SC Securities said the main contributor to turnover was trading in Commercial Bank which closed at 100.50 […]
‘s HDFC to 3.9-pct
MUMBAI, Feb 2 (AsiaPulse) – US-based private-equity firm Carlyle Group on Wednesday reduced its stake to about 4 per cent in leading Indian mortgage company HDFC (BSE: 500180). Carlyle had 5.22 per stake in HDFC. The private equity firm sold about 1.3 per cent stake in the company through open market transaction, sources said. The […]
Sri Lanka tea trade mulls new standard
Feb 02, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea industry is considering developing an ‘all-encompassing’ standard to demonstrate compliance with a plethora of international criteria producers are faced with, an official said. Niraj de Mel, Managing Director of exporter Vanrees Ceylon, said the number of standards producers are compelled to comply with have been increasing in […]
Sri Lanka estate living standards seen improving
Feb 02, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea plantations industry said investments in improving infrastructure and community services had improve the quality of life of workers who produce the island main export crop. The Planters™ Association of Ceylon (PA), which represents 23 listed Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs), said estate communities in RPC estates have seen […]