Top Lankan CEOs become bullish, post Indo-Lanka meet

The Sri Lankan business community and CEOs are now upbeat on the dawning new business prospects following the high level Indian trade push on Sri Lanka.

Fresh initiatives by the high level Indian business delegation to Sri Lanka led by Anand Sharma, the Indian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles, saw announcements of bilateral trade doubling to $10b by 2015, $ 5b Indian investments in various sectors being lined up, two new export zones coming up to act as India’s supply chains ($ 5b investments are apart from huge outlay for the two new zones), India directly involving in Sri Lanka’s five hub strategy in a big way and increased Indian involvement in Lanka’s on-going oil and gas search.

After a successful three-day tour in Colombo, the delegation returned to India.

“I am pleased with the outcome of the visit of the Indian delegation led by Indian Minister Anand Sharma and his corporate leaders, whose high standard of professionalism and business zeal was evident throughout their presence. At the Indo-Lanka CEO Forum and later, various members of business community expressed their strong satisfaction to me and are eagerly looking for joint ventures with Indian firms, to be located in Sri Lanka,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen, on Tuesday and added: “I commend the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the High Commission of India in Colombo for this successful initiative.”

Minister Bathiudeen said this in the aftermath of receiving many compliments and expressions of interest from a wide spectrum of Lankan business leaders who were in attendance at the Forum. Bharti Mittal, the Co-chair of the Forum and India’s fifth largest Dollar billionaire of Airtel fame, said: “This is one of the extremely well-structured symposia I have ever been to.