Budget 2014 - CNCI focuses more on industries
By Lalin Fernandopulle
The chambers that represent the business community have presented
their proposals for the 2014 Budget which will accelerate economic
development through a vibrant business environment in the country.
The Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI), Chairman, Gamini
Gunasekera said that the chamber has called upon the government to
address the skills mismatch by bringing industry needs to the education
curriculum. Skills mismatch is a huge problem affecting productivity and
industrial growth. The chamber hails the move by the Government to
allocate Rs. 306 billion for education.
“Harmonising the complex documentation process and introducing an
electronic cargo clearing system is vital for industrial development. We
have called upon the government to simplify the documentation process
for setting up businesses,” Gunasekera said.
CNCI has also called upon the Government to expedite legislation
against anti-dumping and countervailing to protect local industries.
The chamber wants duties and cess to be imposed on imports to
encourage domestic industries. “We seek a further reduction in interest
rates for industries. High interest rates have impeded growth of small
and medium scale industries,” Gunasekera said. The Central Bank cut key
policy rates by 50 basis points recently. CNCI has proposed to have
robust policies for SME development.
Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia have introduced such policies for
SME development.
Around 70 percent of the country's entrepreneurs are in the SME
sector and around 90 percent of the industrial establishments are small
and medium scale enterprises.
Industries in Sri Lanka face problems to recover default dues from
small and medium scale customers due to poor litigation practices in the
country.
The litigation process in the country is slow. An effective
litigation process is vital to expedite recoveries.
CNCI plans to conduct a series of educational and training programs
for industrialists on proper industrial practices to minimise the impact
of industrial pollution and disasters.
Around 6,000 factories operate in the Gampaha district of which
nearly half are chemical-based factories.
Less than one percent of the factories do not use proper handling and
disposal methods during production.
Lack of awareness on proper discharge of industrial waste has created
major problems for industries around the world.
The Rathupaswela and the Piliyandala factory problems would not have
triggered had there been a proper transparency and continuous dialogue
between the factory and the community,” a chamber official said.
The CNCI Achievers awards, the flagship event of the chamber, is held
every year to recognise and reward manufactures for their performance
and contribution to the economy.
A hallmark of the event is that all Sri Lankan enterprises operating
their manufacturing and service industries in SAARC countries such as
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives are also awarded,
while the SAARC Country Industry specific industries who apply through
their respective Chambers of Industry and Commerce are also eligible to
apply for the awards. The CNCI establishes closer affiliation and
bilateral relations with all SAARC countries and to set up friendly ties
with the overseas industrial counterparts. Secretary General and CEO of
the CNCI, Kumara Kandalama said that a large number of applicants
including those from the North and the East take part in the Achiever
Awards. Industrial sectors such as paints manufacturing, food
processing, rubber and plastics, leather and foot wear, building
construction, electrical and appliance manufacturing, light engineering,
machine manufacturing, glass and ceramic, rubber products including
rubber based automotive parts, gem and jewellery, tyre manufacturing,
roller shutters and doors, roofing materials, spice products, poultry
and processing, agriculture products, polymer products, hydraulic, road
construction, tea processing and packaging, coir, batik, automobile and
vehicle assembly and manufacture, biscuits and related food products,
insurance industry plus the leisure and entertainment sector enterprises
take part in the event.
“We have lined up a series of programs to support industrialist in
the North and the East next year,” he said. |