Big Thai delegation heading to Expo 2012 in Sri Lanka

 (BP) The Thai-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce expects as many as 30 Thai entrepreneurs to travel to Expo 2012 in Colombo from March 28-30. Their participation is due in large part to the initiative of the new president of the Thai-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce, Arunee Tippilar.

The CEO of Touchwood Forestry, she has had discussions with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Bangkok about facilitating the visit of a Thai delegation.

Ms Arunee is no stranger to Sri Lanka, having visited the country on several occasions and been a member of previous business delegations to Colombo. As well, the range of products exported by Sri Lanka has expanded considerably, making local manufactures of interest to Thai entrepreneurs.

Expo 2012 promises to attract interest not merely from Asia, where Sri Lanka is now viewed as a fast-growing nation benefiting from a peace dividend, but also from elsewhere in the world following positive reports from institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank. The perceptible change in the nature of the country’s export sector has opened the doors to a wide variety of interests.

For instance, Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery industry has been of interest to Thai entrepreneurs going back nearly four decades, when Thai businessmen began importing in substantial quantities the ill-formed semi-precious stone called geuda in Sinhala.

The Thai industry had found a means of heat treating this stone to convert it into blue sapphires. This heat-treating method was later adopted by Sri Lankan gem interests too.

The fact that Sri Lanka thought it fit to hold Expo at this time when the global economy is slowing down and some countries in Europe have fallen on hard times financially, is an indication of the confidence the country has that its export sector can find new markets despite the economic downturn in some of its traditional markets.

The country’s export earnings in 2011 were estimated at US$9.1 billion and are expected to reach $10.3 billion this year and $15 billion in 2015.

In 2010, manufactured goods, textiles and garments accounted for 63% of the country’s exports, in marked contrast to the immediate post-independence period. When Sri Lanka, then Ceylon emerged as an independent nation 64 years ago its exports were largely primary products _ tea, rubber and coconuts.

In 2010 tea, rubber and coconut combined amounted to only 21% of Sri Lanka’s exports.

Still it is impossible to forget or write off Sri Lanka’s tea industry which has a reputation to uphold even though its share as a foreign-exchange earner has diminished over the years. Ceylon tea is still renowned the world over for its quality. The brand “Ceylon Tea” invokes sensations of quality, aroma and a variety of flavours among discerning tea drinkers.

Expo 2012, organised by Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board, is offering several concessions to visiting delegations including discounted travel on the national carrier SriLankan Airlines and good rates at some Colombo hotels.

One of the aims of the board in holding Expo 2012 is to increase by more than 50% the country’s exports to markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America by 2015.

In Asia, the main export markets are Singapore, India and Japan, while the US and UK remain by far the biggest markets for Sri Lanka.

Thailand is the country’s 19th biggest market with sales in 2010 of US$73 million, an increase of $10 million over the previous year.

What is significant in the changing pattern is that Sri Lankan exports to Asean countries were $757 million in 2010 _ a remarkable jump from $277 million earned in the previous year.