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| Sunday, 7 September 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Competition hots up for China Olympic order by Hiran H. Senewiratne Sri Lanka is competing with Philippines to secure a massive coir fibre (geo-textile) export order worth millions of dollars from China. China will use the coir fibre to develop the infrastructure of its Olympic village. The 2008 Olympic games will be held in Beijing. Currently, Sri Lanka exports nearly 60,000 Mt of coir and related items to more than 50 countries including China. Coir is the largest foreign exchange earner among coconut-related exports. "We are exploring this opportunity to get this export order for the country," said Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation Industries Y.G. Wijeratne. He said Minister Lakshman Kiriella, during his recent visit to China with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, negotiated with Chinese authorities regarding this order and relevant duty concessions. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Coir Cluster Indrajith Piyasena said Sri Lanka can obtain this order by using the China-Sri Lanka bilateral trade relationship. Many countries including Philippines are eyeing this massive order for coir fibre and related products, he added. According to statistics, Sri Lanka exports Rs 200 million worth of coir and coir-related products to China including Hong Kong and Macau, amidst strict import tariff and duty. Piyasena, who was Chairman Ceylon Coir Fibre Exporters Association, said that more than 40,000 people are directly or indirectly employed in the coir and coir-related industries. He stressed that another 1000 employment opportunities can be generated if Sri Lanka obtains this order. The island's main competitors in the coir export business are Philippines, India, Malaysia and Vietnam. Piyasena requested the Government to use good officers to canvass this order with preferential tariff and duty concessions from the Chinese government. |
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