Tag: lbo
Sri Lanka open to new IMF programme if it supports growth: President
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says Sri Lanka is ready to enter a new programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), provided it supports economic growth and not just stability, as the current four-year arrangement enters its final six months. Speaking at the Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit 2026 in Colombo on Monday, he said […]
150 years of rubber: A milestone worth celebrating
This year, Sri Lanka marks 150 years since rubber was first planted on its soil, a milestone that traces back to 1876, when a shipment of young Hevea brasiliensis seedlings arrived at the Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens in Gampaha. Grown from seeds smuggled out of the Amazon by British botanist Henry Wickham and germinated at Kew […]
Sri Lanka becomes second market for BYD’s RACCO
BYD, the number one brand in Sri Lanka’s emerging New Energy Vehicle (NEV) segment and the world’s leading NEV manufacturer, together with its authorised distributor in Sri Lanka, John Keells CG Auto,today announced the successful debut of the BYD RACCO, its newest addition to the local market. SriLanka becomes the first country outside Japan to […]
Seven in ten Sri Lankan exporters already sell online, but paperwork and slow delivery hold them back: Survey
Sri Lankan exporters are taking to online selling faster than the country’s trade systems are keeping up. A new survey shows seven in ten already use e-commerce, but many are still tangled in paperwork, slow deliveries and high costs. The findings are in “E-commerce and international trade in Sri Lanka: Findings from a survey of […]
The cost of hesitation: Lessons from Asian national strategies on oil palm
By Lalith Obeyesekere, Secretary General, Planters’ Association of Ceylon In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew described Ceylon as Britain’s model Commonwealth country, and tooknote of the significant lead that then Ceylon had in terms of its resources, infrastructure and institutions when compared to the Singapore he had inherited, or to his immediate neighbours, Malaysia and […]
ADB approves USD100mn loan to overhaul Sri Lanka’s vocational training system
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million results-based loan to transform Sri Lanka’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system, aiming to equip more young people with industry-relevant skills and strengthen the country’s competitiveness. The Skills Development System Transformation Program will back government efforts to improve training quality, strengthen links between […]
FAAMA Appoints New Executive Committee for 2026/27, targeting a US$1 billion local value-addition opportunity
The Fabric & Apparel Accessory Manufacturers Association (FAAMA) has reappointed Mr. Husni Salieh of Noyon Lanka (Private) Limited as the Chairman for the 2026/27 term at its Annual General Meeting held on 25 September 2026 at the Hilton Colombo. The AGM was graced virtually by Mr. Duminda Hulangamuwa, Chairman of the Board of Investment of […]
Beyond El Niño: Building lasting climate resilience in Sri Lanka’s plantations
Climate resilience has become the defining test of this El Niño year for Sri Lanka’s plantation sector. The National Disaster Relief Services Centre says over 81,000 people across 25,563 families in seven districts, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Badulla, Monaragala, Hambantota and Ratnapura, have been affected by the dry weather linked to the phenomenon. The government has […]
Incoming Planters’ Association Chairman proposes 5-point plan for industry revival at 172nd AGM
Malwatte Valley Plantations PLC Director / CEO, Shanaka Samaradiwakara was appointed as Chairman of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PAC), while Kahawatte Plantations PLC Director / CEO Binesh Pananwala, was appointed as Deputy Chairman at the Association’s 172nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 19 September at the Cinnamon Grand. The event was graced by Central […]
Sri Lanka’s services boom offsets manufacturing slowdown as PMI data shows uneven August recovery
Sri Lanka’s economy sent a mixed but broadly positive signal in August, as new Central Bank data show services activity accelerating sharply even as manufacturing growth lost momentum. The Purchasing Managers’ Index for Services jumped to 65.6 in August from 61.4 in July, marking an acceleration in what was already a strong expansion. The pickup […]
World Bank mobilizes record USD112 Bn in private capital, with lessons for economies like Sri Lanka
The World Bank Group has pulled in more private capital this year than at any point in its history, a shift that carries real relevance for import-reliant, foreign-exchange-constrained economies like Sri Lanka looking to attract investment beyond traditional aid channels. Private capital mobilized by the Group more than tripled over the past four years, climbing […]
Chasing the next $3Bn: What it will take for Sri Lanka’s apparel sector to get there
For thirty years, Sri Lanka’s apparel industry has quietly powered the country’s export economy accounting for roughly 40% of merchandise export revenue and employing 300,000 to 350,000 people. That scale wasn’t accidental. It was built through deliberate government-industry planning dating back to the early 1990s. The first transformation, anchored by the 200 Garment Factories Programme, […]