Category: Trade

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 […]

March 14, 2008 (LBO) – Fabric manufacturer Textured Jersey Lanka (TJL) has started operations at its expanded facility in Sri Lanka and says it aims to double capacity in the next two years. Local manufacturers making up the fabric for export include MAS, Brandix, Martins, Hirdaramani and Omega Line. The company, a joint collaboration between […]

March 13, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan graphite miner Bogala Graphite Lanka said its net profit for 2007 was boosted 51 percent to 34.5 million rupees from the year before w by a new plant making high value powders. The plant can produce 29 grades of ‘classified graphite powders’ for export to end-users in the […]

Feb 28, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan coconut-shell-based activated carbon maker Haycarb says it plans to sell face masks in overseas markets in Asia with dense populations and growing air pollution problems. Haycarb managing director Ananda Hettiarachchy said the masks, developed for use by Sri Lankan urban and rural consumers, had become “quite popular” and […]

Feb 18, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rubber gloves exporter Dipped Products Ltd. (DPL) has announced plans to enter the Indian market in partnership with Delhi-based import firm Optimum Marketing Metrics (OMM), news reports said Monday. The company, a unit of the Hayleys conglomerate, hopes to sell industrial and household gloves through big retail chains. […]

Feb 11, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan exporters should secure their shipments not only because of security but because product liability and food safety are growing concerns in western markets, a container security expert says. New global container security initiatives, which emerged as a response to terrorist threats, are now not only limited to security, […]

Dec 12, 2007 (LBO) – Ceylon Cold Stores has invested 800 million rupees to expand its carbonated drink making line to increase production and introduce different pack sizes to compete with other producers. The company says its ice cream has also captured half the market share in Maldives while soft drinks are exported to Europe, […]

Dec 11, 2007 (LBO) – Ceylon Glass Company (CGC) has begun production at its new plant in Horana, south of the capital Colombo, which can meet Sri Lanka’s entire demand for glass containers and export as well. Ceylon Glass chief executive Sanjay Tiwari said the second production line would start next week and that they […]

Dec 07, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tableware exporters Dankotuwa Porcelain has said it is shifting strategy away from mass production to focus on specialty designs for niche markets. The move is in response to growing competition from cheaper manufacturers in other Asian origins, especially those with access to cheap energy. “It is impossible to […]