Sri Lanka could reach the expected export-led economy in the future as the export sector has shown improvements in the recent past, National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) Chief said.
“The situation in Q1 this year has recorded an improvement of 10 percent YOY basis and the agriculture and manufacturing sectors has shown a marginal improvement,” NCE President Ramal Jasinghe said. Though the improvement is below the target, it is nevertheless an encouragement to the export sector, he said.
The government’s emphasis on the sector and the assistance given has pave the way for better performance. The focus on exports and the stand to create an export economy was evident at a recent meeting conducted by the Export Development Board.
The meeting was on the subject of fiscal issues faced by the exporters was chaired by the Advisor to the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs R. Paskaralingam. The problems of the exporters were given immediate solutions and were sorted them out at this meeting.
“We were encouraged by the response of the Advisor regarding the red tape and the barriers faced by the exporters. The momentum is continuing and we need to maintain it,” he said. There is a bright future for the export sector as a lot of issues were sorted out at this meeting. The best thing is to keep the momentum on. The meeting was a platform to engage with the other stakeholders on the GSP plus facility and the export community to take action according to the present export strategy of the country, Jasinghe said.
“We have a lot of hope and the optimism is high that the sector will do well. We welcome the development of this forum which will facilitate the growth of the export volume and value,” he said.