Category: Trade

Oct 23, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s fresh coconut prices hit a new high at this week’s auction in Colombo, compounded by state interventions that restrict trade and keep prices of substitutes at higher than global levels. At Thursday’s auction of fresh coconuts in Colombo – which is a proxy for farm gate prices – […]

Oct 20, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan exporters are still not making enough use of free trade deals giving duty free or preferential access to big markets, a senior trade official said. “It appears some exporters and importers are paying a few million dollars in duty for which they are entitled to duty free access. […]

Oct 13, 2010 (LBO) – The United States is organizing a series of forums Sri Lanka country giving an opportunity especially to smaller businesses outside the capital to find out how to increase trade with the US. The ‘Doing Business’ seminar with assistant trade representative Micheal Delaney will off in Colombo on October 15. Similar […]

Oct 07, 2010 (LBO) – Trade between India and Sri Lankan could be speeded up and costs reduced by the use of pre-shipment data exchanges driven by security concerns being tested in Western economies, an expert said. The pre-shipment information exchanges are being tried in the West in response to concerns about terrorist infiltration of […]

LONDON, October 7, 2010 (AFP) – British retailer Marks & Spencer reported a surprisingly big jump in sales during the second quarter of its financial year, driven by clothing and food items, but warned on Thursday about the outlook. Sales on a like-for-like basis, which strips out the effect of new floor space, rose 5.3 […]

Oct 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exports slowed in July 2010 for the first time in four months, dragged down by a fall in apparel shipments, its biggest industrial export, the Central Bank said. Earnings from exports were up just 0.6 percent to 656 million US dollars in July 2010 from a year ago […]

Oct 04, 2010 (LBO) – Early issue of export documentation by Sri Lankan authorities could help reduce delays in clearing goods shipped to India under a free trade deal, trade experts and economists told a forum. The Indo-Lanka free trade agreement (FTA) has eliminated or reduced import duties, improving market access for businesses in both […]

Oct 02, 2010 (LBO) – An upgraded free trade deal between India and Sri Lanka can help the island lure more investment from Indian companies who are increasingly venturing abroad, India’s envoy in Colombo said. The two countries need to have agreements that remove bottlenecks to exports by harmonising their testing, certification, quarantine and customs […]

Oct 01, 2010 (LBO) – Using local currencies to trade between India and Sri Lanka could reduce transaction costs and speed up cargo movements, an expert has suggested. “This could lead to win-win situation for both sides and bring down transaction cost and the time taken.” Under British rule the Indian rupee, then specie based […]

Sept 03, 2010 (LBO) – An international gem and jewellery exhibition in Sri Lanka has drawn large groups of buyers from China and Russia which are emerging as important markets, officials said. “The stones have become more attractive and better cut.” Chanaka Ellawala, head of the 20th Facets gem and jewellery show organising committee, said […]

Sept 01, 2010 (LBO) – Protectionist lobbies holding up a new free trade deal with India are putting Sri Lanka at risk of being left out of emerging regional trade blocs and depriving consumers the benefits of free trade, an official said. “Sri Lanka is rather insignificant in the larger calculations of world powers except […]

Aug 20, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is preventing the further appreciation of the rupee against the dollar to support exporters after the loss of a trade deal giving duty free access to the European market, a spokesman said. “We held a number of discussions with manufacturers. After 10 years of tariff preferences […]