Department of Commerce launches official website

By Shannon Jayawardena

With the aim of raising the living standards of the people through international trade relations, the Department of Commerce launched an official website on 2 January 2018 in Colombo.

The website was inaugurated by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). The department believes that the website will greatly contribute towards its mission of developing and promoting Sri Lanka’s foreign trade relations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels through the effective implementation of Government trade policy, with a view to raising the standards of living and realising a higher quality of life through the increase of total production, income and employment levels, thereby actively contributing to the overall economic growth of Sri Lanka.

Chief Guest at the event, Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen, said: “Every year I have come to the Department of Commerce and I’m very happy that the department together with ICTA has launched such an innovative site. The Department of Commerce truly does a great service for our country and they have worked very hard to make this a reality. I hope this year will also prove to be of immense success as we will continue to work for the public as one family.” After approximately one year of planning and building, the website is now accessible to the public and offers services such as online trade negotiations, recommendation of residence visa, trade representation overseas and issues certificates of origin under all GSP schemes, free trade agreements and preferential trading agreements of which Sri Lanka is neither a beneficiary nor party.

The department’s latest news and events could also be accessed through the website while contact details of the Department of Commerce officials are available on the site as well. Regional trade relations and research and development are also a few of the main functions the department offers on the website.

Department of Commerce Director General of Commerce Sonali Wijeratne stated: “Today is a very important day for our department as we not only launch our website but we also follow a new resolution for the year which is public outreach. Therefore this launch will really help us accomplish this task.”

“This is a really valuable and remarkable milestone for the Department of Commerce and I’m grateful to be a part of such an occasion. Since trade plays a vital role in our country, the Department of Commerce continues to contribute towards our economic growth and is very important to society,” added Department of Commerce Secretary Ranjith Asoka.