Trade Links

Jan 11, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shipping officials have questioned the validity of a recent World Bank ranking on logistics that placed the island even below landlocked Uganda, despite Colombo's position as a container transshipment hub. The criticism came at a videoconference discussion connecting audiences in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Washington on trade logistics in the global economy to discuss the findings of the study.

Rohan Masakorala, former chairman of the Sri Lanka Shippers' Council, raised doubts about the study and LPI index and questioned whether the research had got it wrong.

"The study's credibility is at stake and [such] findings can seriously damage the country."

He told the videoconference on Tuesday that Sri Lankan businesses were concerned about misleading representation in such studies as it could affect foreign investment which the island needed to develop the economy.

The World Bank study called the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2007 ranked Sri Lanka at 92 out of 150 countries with a low overall score of 2.40 out of five, even below India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Singapore was ranked No 1 while Uganda scored 2.49, more than Sri Lanka, whose Colombo port is s