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| Sunday, 22 January 2006 |
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by M. P. Muttiah The Netherlands Ambassador, Van Dijk said that he favoured improved bilateral relations between his country and Sri Lanka with export promotion. He was speaking at the closing sessions of the Regional Conference of the Netherlands Senior Experts (PUM) at the Trans Asia Hotel on Monday. Dijk, himself a senior expert in a consultancy firm at the age of 28 and later at the External Affairs Ministry's orientation of technical assistance to other countries, said that PUM would help 35 projects in Sri Lanka this year. Ownership is the key issue and more programs on enhancing capacity should be taken as the point of departure. He said that the Netherlands would grant for joint investment, a special program for joint venture and special export program for recipient countries. The Ambassador said that what the experts had learned from one program they would use in the next one, through direct advice and support PUM wants to help foreign businesses and organisations to improve their position and at the same time help to contribute to the development of a sustainable social market economy. There are conditions of eligibility for assistance from PUM. In assessing an application for assistance we weigh the cost of a mission against the expected result, because a project above all has to make a difference. PUM is also looking to create more jobs and encourage the use of environmentally friendly production techniques, he said. PUM's Sri Lankan Representative S.P.C. Kumarasinghe said the Netherlands Senior Experts provide significant advice that could make a substantial contribution to improve local businesses and institutions in Sri Lanka. PUM experts do not give money. They make available their professional know-how and experiences to organisations which can be helped. The assistance is provided directly, on a project basis free. The input of Dutch senior experts is for many enterprises a tremendous stimulus to being successful entrepreneurs. There are 4,000 senior experts at PUM who carry out around 2,000 projects per annum. It has experts in every imaginable field of industry, agriculture, trade and management. PUM organises training courses and seminars in the countries in which it is active or it sends the staff of companies that have been advised to the Netherlands to follow a course. Chief Executive Officer of PUM, Jan Roben said that the organisation focused attention on the private sector development. In 2005, PUM helped 2,000 projects in 80 countries with 230 local representatives. He said PUM's technical and expertise assistance is more suitable to small and medium scale industries. It also supports business links with the Netherlands' companies. He said Small and Medium level enterprises could create more permanent jobs, pay taxes and accelerate the economy. Dambadeniya Development Foundation's Senior Manager Sunil Rodrigo,
Dhanush Marine Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Managing Director G.S. Fernando and a
representative of the Association of Anthurium Growers for export (Kurunegala
District) that received PUM's technical assistance shared their experiences.
PUM representatives from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala also
participated in the regional conference. |
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