A delegation of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) led by its Secretary, Shiham Marikar visited Melbourne, Australia recently.
The companies represented in the delegation were - Midaya Ceramic s, Macksons Paints, DSI Group, Alwis Agro Exports, Abdulla International, Development Interplan Ceylon, Warna Exporters, Suntech Information Technologies, and Uniceyl Marketing Services.
The objective of the Chamber was to promote two way trade between Sri Lanka and Australia, particularly exports from Sri Lanka to Australia and also to explore possibilities of sourcing inputs that could be used for exports, including Machinery and Equipment and processing technologies. Joint Venture Investment opportunities were be also explored.
At present, total trade between Sri Lanka and Australia stands at US $ 360 Mn (2016 figures) with exports amounting to US $ 164 mn, and imports amounting to US $ 96 mn (2016 figures). As such there is much potential for the expansion of trade between the two countries.
The NCE coordinated with the Sri Lankan Missions in Melbourne and Sydney Australia, with regard to arrangements for meetings for the delegates with their relevant business counterparts in Australia, as well as other activities prior to departure. The Chamber also assisted the delegates in providing support documents to obtain their visas.
The delegation had meetings and discussions with Trade Chambers and Associations in Australia. They also conducted discussions with the relevant business counterparts and end users of their product lines, to explore opportunities for business development.
Prior to undertaking Business to Business (B2B) meetings with their counterparts, members of the delegation held preliminary discussions with the Sri Lankan Trade Counsellors in Melbourne and Sydney at a general briefing session, related to their business profiles and interests.
Among the main activities undertaken by the delegation were meetings with the Victorian Government Investment Centre and Customs Brokers, to seek clarifications related to Customs and Biosecurity requirements for imports into Australia, particularly in regard to quarantine issues. This discussion was arranged by Mohan Perera, a former Vice President of the Chamber, who is currently resident in Australia.
Meetings were also held with several other organisations.
The Chamber will aggressively follow up on the discussions and activities undertaken during the visit and plans a follow up visit to Sydney early next year.
The main exports from Sri Lanka to Australia currently comprise apparel, tea packets, pneumatic and retreaded rubber tyres and tubes, coconut oil, footwear, industrial and surgical gloves made of rubber, processed foods, wall tiles, motor vehicles and parts, and made-up textile articles.
While the main imports by Sri Lanka from Australia comprise edible vegetables, cereals, machinery and mechanical appliances, paper and paperboard articles, live animals, tanning or dyeing extracts, lead, and articles made thereof, edible fruits and nuts, and edible preparations.