Industrial sector contributes 76% of export income - Welgama

by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

Laboratory accreditation according to the ISO 17025 standard is critically important to support industrial development and export promotion. Importers in foreign countries need to have confidence that the products exported are safe for human use and complies with international standards, according to Minister of Industrial Development Kumara Welgama.

A seminar on 'Capacity Development of Laboratory Accreditation', organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Intergraded Industrial Development Support program was held at the Hotel Taj Samudra.

Minister Welgama in his message to the seminar said that Sri Lanka's industrial sector contributes 76 per cent of the export income and over one million people directly or indirectly are employed in the industrial sector.

"Sixty-five per cent of the value of industrial exports are generated by the textile and apparel sector. It is an urgent need to take appropriate action jointly by the public and private sector to diversify and expand industrial exports," he said. Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Tissa Vitharana said that the price and quality of Sri Lankan products are the major considerations to enter foreign markets.

"In meeting quality standards the difficulties faced by Sri Lankan exporters are mainly due to their inability to provide quality certificates recognised internationally for their products. The Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB) was set up to solve this problem", he said.

He said that Sri Lanka needs to have a number of competent laboratories that cover all relevant areas of testing. Director, Trade Capacity Building Branch UNIDO, Lalith Gunatileka, Chairman Association of Manufacturers' and Exporters of Rubber Products Ananda Caldera and Director-CEO - Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment Sanath Mendis also spoke.

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