Sri Lanka has set a shining example to the world on how to successfully rise and march forward with confidence from a twin tragedy, the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, said the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, Dr. Satyanjal Pandey.
He was speaking as the guest of honour at the opening of the Complete Plastics Exhibition (COMPLAST 2023).
The event at the BMICH concluded yesterday with over 200 companies, including prominent representations from India (50), China (80) and Sri Lanka (80) which exhibited their innovative products and solutions.
He said that the Sri Lanka business sector too has been very resilient and a lot the Indian companies can learn from them on their successful business model, Sri Lanka companies adopted to first to survive and emerge successfully from a crisis.
He also said that in the short space on a few months after taking over as Deputy High Commissioner of India he saw several international events being staged in Sri Lanka and delegations visiting both countries.
He appealed to the local business sector to do more business with India as it has a huge market.
“The visit of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to India also will open new avenues of business between the two countries.”
He also recalled that the FTA India inked with Sri Lanka was one the first FTA’s in their history.
Minister of Industries and Plantation Industries, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, said that though Sri Lanka faced a twin crisis the export sector was resilient and achieved an income of USD 13.1 billion signifying the country’s unwavering focus on industrial advancement.
He said that the rubber and polymer sector too played a major role towards this achievement.
He said that Sri Lanka is successful manufacturing rubber components to the global market and have also started manufacturing rubber based items to the aero space industry which is very praiseworthy.
The collaboration between the Plastics and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka (PRISL), Smart Expos, and the Industrial Development Board has culminated in the successful realisation of COMPLAST 2023.
“This unprecedented partnership underscores the collective efforts of these organisations to invigorate Sri Lanka’s industrial growth and enhance its global manufacturing footprint.”
The event featured four events, RUBEXPO 2023 (The International Rubber Expo) COMEXPO 2023(The Complete Manufacturing Expo, aimed at catalysing the growth of the manufacturing sector by presenting cutting-edge technologies and solutions) TOFAS 2023 (The inaugural Tools and Fasteners Expo, dedicated to hardware, tools, and fasteners, crucial components of the manufacturing landscape) and MOPEEXPO 2023: Making its debut, the ultimate Motor Parts Expo is featuring spare parts, tyres, batteries, and garage equipment.”