Focus on Lanka's export performance in Delhi
The policy of the government of Sri Lanka with regard to exports
highlights the need not only to increase the volume of foreign exchange
earnings but also to ensure equitable economic development by ensuring
that the income from enhanced exports reaches the grassroots, said Prof.
G. L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, in
his address at the Partnership Summit organised by the Confederation of
Indian Industry in Gurgaon, India last week.
He was speaking as a principal panellist on the subject of inclusive
growth in the context of trade negotiations. Minister Peiris gave a
detailed account of the steps taken by the government of Sri Lanka to
develop the system of export promotion villages as an instrument for
achieving rural prosperity.
The products identified for each export promotion village depend on
geographical factors and the expertise available in each region. The
basis of the system, the Minister pointed out, is a partnership between
the producers and the private sector.
He described it as an outsourcing system, in terms of which leading
export companies, in a direct relationship with the producers, make seed
material and advice available and buy back the product at an agreed sum.
This eliminates the unconscionable profits made by a series of middlemen
and ensures that the farmers reap the full benefit of their work.
Prof. Peiris referred to value addition, with its accompanying
potential for employment generation, as the crucial component of Sri
Lanka's export promotion strategy.
He offered the participants a description of the initiatives made
available by the government of Sri Lanka for investment in the less
developed areas of the country - a policy complemented by practical
action in such areas as skills and infrastructure development and
poverty alleviation.
One of the co-panellists joining Prof. Peiris was Kamal Nath, India's
Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Enterprise Development and
Investment Promotion, and Prof. Peiris led the Sri Lanka delegation
which included Mahen Dayananda, Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of
Commerce and Prema Cooray, Secretary General and CEO of the Chamber. |