Category: Trade
India will move on ETCA at a pace set by Lanka: envoy
By P.K. Balachandran Assuaging fears that India is set to “impose” an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) on Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has said that India is ready to move on the ETCA at a pace Sri Lanka is comfortable with. “The proposed Economic and Technical […]
GSP Plus could add USD350 mln in export revenue, improve FDI: Min
July 03, 2017 (LBO) – GSP plus eligibility could add 350 million dollars in export revenue to Sri Lanka, while increasing potential for FDI, the minister for industry and commerce said. “The enhanced market access that Sri Lanka gets from EU GSP+ is very significant,” said Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. “In fact, according to the Department […]
Sri Lanka’s Watawala Plantations to separate tea business
June 30, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Watawala Plantations is planning to set up a separate company relating to the tea business segment of the company by segregating its operational assets and liabilities. The firm said in a stock exchange filing that the said assets and liabilities will be vested in the new limited company […]
‘s SAGT goes live with Navis terminal system
June 28, 2017 (LBO) – Navis, a part of Cargotec Corporation, a provider of operational technologies and services across the shipping supply chain, said South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT) in the Port of Colombo has successfully gone live with Navis’ N4 terminal system and N4 Billing. “SAGT selected the Navis terminal system to better optimize […]
Sri Lanka Economic Summit to discuss need for Smarter Trade Strategy
June 27, 2017 (LBO) – ‘Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2017’ will dig deeper into the island’s trade reform agenda anchored towards new preferential trade pacts, tariff liberalization and export promotion, with the participation of experts representing both local and international trade bodies. A thematic session titled ‘Executing a Smarter Trade Strategy Amidst Turbulence’ will have a […]
Sri Lanka to postpone SVAT abolition till end 2017
June 22, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet approval has been granted to postpone the abolition of SVAT system until the end of this year. Accordingly, the SVAT abolition will take effect from 01 January 2018 after the necessary legislation is passed through Parliament. This decision has been taken in order to give sufficient time […]
Improved Swedish interest in Sri Lanka imports after GSP+
An increased interest to import products from Sri Lanka to Sweden has been noticed since the GSP+ came in to function. This was confirmed on Tuesday 20th June during a well-attended breakfast seminar in Stockholm at the premises of the Swedish National Board of Trade. The seminar was organised by the Sri Lankan Embassy in […]
Sri Lanka plans trade, business delegation to Bangladesh
June 16, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce plans a trade and business delegation visit to Bangladesh next month, on the back of a three-fold rise in trade between the two countries, a statement said. “Bilateral trade between the two countries tripled since 2010 but there is unexplored potential,” said Minister […]
Commercial Bank leads Sri Lanka’s SME financing in 2016
June 15, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s SME sector has been injected with 719 billion rupees by both state and private sector banks in 2016, with Commercial Bank of Ceylon leading with 273 billion rupees in such lending. Department of Development Finance said in a report that in 2015, 604 billion rupees was granted by […]
Hemas VAT Reclaim Service helps SL biz travelers recover VAT on travel costs
Hemas Travels, the local representative for Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), the global travel management company with representation in over 120 countries, has been appointed the official representative for the Cash Back, the VAT reclaim organisation with its Head Office in Switzerland. “Hemas is delighted to have been given the rights to market and sell the […]
Indonesia, Sri Lanka to strengthen trade and economic ties
Mar 09, 2017 (LBO) Sri lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena, who is on a state visit to Indonesia, met with President Joko Widodo Wednesday with a proposal for a free trade agreement between the two countries among the topics discussed. The meeting between the two leaders commenced following a cordial discussion, a statement from the Sri […]
Sri Lanka to train foreign service in economic diplomacy: Harsha
Mar 07, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government will be training its officials in the foreign service through a online economic diplomacy course with Harvard University to help improve the island’s investment and export promotion, a deputy minister said. “Sri Lanka is running a race, where we are behind Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia,” Harsha […]