Spices and Allied Products Producers’ and Traders’ Association holds AGM
Monday, 23 September 2013 01:01
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The Spices and Allied Products Producers’ and Traders’ Association (SAPPTA) affiliated to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce held its 29th Annual General Meeting recently.
Minor Export Crops Promotion Minister Reginald Cooray was the Chief Guest at the event, whilst International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Sri Lanka and Maldives Resident Representative Dr. Koshy Mathai was the Guest of Honour. The meeting was attended by all stakeholders of the Spices Industry which includes exporters, producers, processors, dealers, brokers and other service providers associated with the spice industry.
Intercom Ltd. Chairman/Managing Director Sarada de Silva was elected as the Chairman of SAPPTA, while Jayes Trading Company Commercial Manager K. Ramachandran and Maturata Plantations PLC Consultant Anusha Perera were elected as 1st Vice Chairman and 2nd Vice Chairman respectively.
Addressing the gathering Dr. Mathi said that “Exports are the lifeblood of an economy. Sri Lanka with a population of approximately 31 million people accounts for 0.06% of the world’s exports. A tiny share of what is going on in the world. It is impossible that this country will develop unless exports are at the forefront.”
The speech given by the Chairman stressed that the major challenges faced by the spice industry are production, productivity, quality, value addition and branding. Also he said that with stringent hygiene and quality standards being sought by the buyers the sector has to gear itself to meet these demands. In conclusion he said that every member of SAPPTA and the Spice Industry align themselves to the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ policy of adding value to our spices instead of bulk exports. The Chairman requested the fullest cooperation of Government officials, members of SAPPTA and Spice industry to take spice industry to the next level of value addition.
In the twenty nine years of its existence, SAPPTA has developed into a strong institution with around 100 members, comprising exporters, producers, brokers, processors, dealers and those offering services to the industry. As such, it has truly become the ‘voice’ of the Spice Industry.
