Category: Trade

June 16, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exports grew 14.7 percent helped by strong prices for tea, while apparel exports grew by a slow 5.3 percent and the trade deficit expanded 92 percent on higher oil and capital goods imports, official data showed. The Central Bank said April export earnings increased 14.7 percent to 610 […]

May 29, 2008 (LBO) – The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said Thursday it had activated an electronic commerce web portal this week that would help Sri Lankan business to trade internationally. Website visitors have free search facilities to find reliable companies that meet procurement needs and service requirements, and are able to browse through detailed […]

May 22, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s trade deficit doubled in March 2008 to 448 million dollars as imports ratcheted up 32 percent while exports grew only 7.8 percent, government data showed. Exports grew 7.8 percent in March with apparel growing 8.2 percent to 293 million dollars. Agricultural exports grew 29 percent with tea growing […]

May 08, 2008 (LBO) – The embassy of the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago is organizing a trade mission through its High Commission (embassy) in India and is looking for Sri Lankan firms to participate, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said. The trade and investment promotion mission is being organized to Trinidad and Tobago […]

April 18, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan traders Friday said they had agreed to sell rice at the new government controlled price but many wholesale shops remained closed in key markets amid warnings of a shortage and emergence of a ‘black market’. Government officials said they would crack down on ‘unscrupulous’ traders who were trying […]

April 17, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan traders have protested against a government decision to impose price controls on rice, saying they cannot sell at a loss stocks bought at higher price. K Palaniyandi, chairman of the Pettah Traders Association, representing traders in the capital Colombo, said they hope to have talks with the government […]

April 17, 2008 (LBO) – The Chinese government has already allocated over 700 million dollars to build infrastructure in Sri Lanka with talks on for more money to fund expressways, a port and coal power plants, a government official said Thursday. A government delegation that visited China in April was able to secure more funding […]

April 03, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is in talks to relax rice export curbs in at least three countries so that cheaper imports could lower the price of the staple commodity ahead of a local festival, a senior minister said. Trade minister Bandula Gunewardene said Sri Lanka has had discussions with Myanmar, Pakistan and […]

March 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka based makers of vanaspati ghee or hydrogenated vegetable oil who exported to India under a free trade deal said they faced closure after India slashed duty on imported vegetable oils. . India dropped import duty on palm oil on March 20 in a bid to check rising domestic […]

March 20, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s apparel industry said it was confident the government would meet European Union demands to comply with human rights laws to retain critical preferential market access to the region. . It warned that any restrictions on access to the EU market would hurt mainly small and medium enterprises which […]

Mar 18, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has to improve its human rights record and implement its obligations under international agreements to extend trade concessions given by the European Union, officials said in Colombo. Sri Lanka is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) but is yet to complete the […]