JITF 2025 bridges North, South and world once again

Pasyala Ayurveda Osu owner Dr. Buddhika Prasanna Raddalgoda and his team (above) representing Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese, Siddha Ayurveda and Paramparika well-being experts

By Surya Vishwa 

The apex industry and entrepreneurship leveraging event held annually in the North of Sri Lanka kicked off  yesterday at the Muttraweli grounds in Jaffna, as the Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF) brought together all communities of the country to the common goal of supporting and promoting the business potential of the island. 

“The JITF is the human connection that links the beautiful Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country as well as the world,” Aasim Mukthar, CEO of Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (LECS) which introduced this event to the country stated. 

The event ceremoniously kicked off with some of the leading brands, industries, medium and small businesses as well as emerging entrepreneurships receiving equal mileage in terms of exposure. The JITF has been held so far for the past 15 years hosting over 300 stalls, LECs Chief Operating Officer Husnie Rauf said, tracing back the roots of the JITF.

“This Jaffna based event started in 2002 when the peace process between the Government and the LTTE was ushered in where we had 150 companies going in from Colombo. After this initial stage we could not continue the event because of many constraints and the Jaffna Trade Fair could re-commence only in 2010, a year after the complete cessation of the conflict. This event was re- themed as the Jaffna International Trade Fair because of the renewed interest in Sri Lanka by the international community in terms of development and rebuilding the country as well as investment and re-introduced from 2010. We now feel a renewed energy to pitch this event with all the fervour we can muster towards harnessing the entrepreneurial talent of Sri Lanka, across sectors and ethnicities so we rise towards economic re-innovation as one family,” he told the Daily FT.

The products and services featured at the JITF in this 2025 edition range from sustainable energy solutions, construction, consumer products, travel and tourism, food and beverage, handcrafts, packaging, information and communication technology, education, automobiles, agriculture, apparel, cosmetics, the ceramic industry, hospitality, financial services, holistic wellness and healthcare.

We feature below some of the comments from those showcasing their products this year.

“Ever since Crafttary was introduced in Jaffna over a decade or so ago, I have benefitted widely from exhibiting my art at the JITF,” quipped Thampirasa Sureshkumar, the master craftsman founder of Crafttary which has pitched craftwork such as those made out of coconut as a world class industry and is now creating a route towards integrating these unique creations with the international tourism industry, within and beyond Sri Lanka. 

Ayurveda doctor Buddhika Prasanna Raddalgoda who is also a 7th generation practioner of paramparika Sinhala wedakama (from a family lineage of traditional Sinhala medicine), is a perfect example of the unified force of Sri Lankans seen at the JITF.

His traditional medicinal company Pasyale Ayurveda Osu works with a team of Siddha-Ayurveda doctors from Jaffna and Paramparika Unani linked holistic practitioners from the Muslim community. 

His stall at the JITF, Pasyale Ayurveda Osu, was represented strongly by a Jaffna based team and all languages – Tamil, English and Sinhala speaking officials geared to introduce visitors to their products.

“Siddha-Ayurvedha doctor from Jaffna, Arun Baba works with me alongside others from this region and Mohammed Sakin, an expert on using paramparika expertise for bone related wellbeing as well as overall holistic treatment work with me representing Pasyale Ayurveda Osu, which is one of the oldest traditional medicinal ventures in Pasyale,” Dr. Raddalgoda explained. 

Free stalls were provided to deserving initiatives such as the Jaffna SOS village linked family entrepreneurship strengthening program for the parents and relatives of the Jaffna SOS village children numbering around 130.

“Different products made of wood, coconut and cloth are displayed made by parents including single parents of the children housed at the SOS village,” Dina Sasikumar, one of the managers of the SOS family strengthening entrepreneurship program said. She explained that the JITF event has helped them to get better visibility and support for their projects.

The JITF is seen as one of the key brand awareness launch pads which assist new start-ups to obtain exposure and facilitate older companies to mature into more recognition.

JITF 2025 has linked with industry leaders for Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsorships. The Platinum sponsor is DIMO while the Gold sponsors are Adrian Solar Green, Nippon Cement, House of S-Lon while the Silver partners include 4rever Skin Naturals, CBL Munchee, Evolution Auto, Ferentino, Maxies,  Hayleys Solar, FINE, VIVA, Phoenix, Super Pvc, Sun Match, Ruhunu Foods, MAK Lubes Sri Lanka, Rhino, Sola, JTC Mango and Ellawala Horticulture Ltd. which is supporting the JIFT with the Silver sponsorship.  The official partners for the event include the Uthayan Publishers, Tilko, Capital Television and Maha Mini Sound.

The JITF which will continue till 26 January expects well over 100,000 at this year’s event, officials from LECS said. The Daily FT will be covering further people based narratives from this event in the coming week, promoting national unity and peace building through trade and business relations.