Sri Lanka, Israel strengthens cooperation through technology

Israel will bring a high- powered business delegation to Sri Lanka in July to participate in the Economic Summit organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said Ambassador of Israel Mark Sofer.

Mark Sofer

Ambassador Sofer said that the delegation will have one on one meetings with Sri Lankan businessmen to enhance economic ties. It is also scheduled for a Sri Lankan business delegation to visit Israel in September while plans are being made to establish a business council as well.

Israel a country rich in technology will support Sri Lanka in the use of technology in the areas of agriculture, water management, education as well as infrastructure development, Ambassador Sofer said.

As Israel is rich in technology we will transfer the technology to Sri Lanka so that Sri Lanka could get better harvest be it in fruits, vegetables, rice or dairy farming.

In addition there is technology to increase the shelf life of fruits without causing any damage to the fruit. This technology will help Sri Lanka increase the export of fruits and vegetables and thereby increase the foreign exchange earned. The Ambassador said that each Israel family takes at least one foreign vacation per year and at most times it is about three or four overseas vacations per year.

The per capita income of Israel is $ 27,000 and our economy is in good shape.

A delegation from Sri Lanka Tourism is visiting Israel in April in an effort to woo the Israelis to Sri Lanka.

The Ambassador also said that there will be a team of hoteliers from Israel visiting Sri Lanka to explore the possibility of investing in Sri Lanka. As the war is over there is enormous potential in Sri Lanka and now we can enhance trade and investment opportunities between the countries.

The Ambassador said that Sri Lanka has enormous human capacity which is one of the most valuable resources. Therefore, technology transfer is easy.

There is a downturn in bilateral trade between two the countries due to the global financial crisis and it is expected that bilateral trade will increase in the near future, he said. (SG)