India-Sri Lanka business dialogue in July

The India-Ceylon Economic Dialogue (ICED) will be held in Kochi in July. The business meet was devised following the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sri Lanka in March.

The B2B dialogue is being supported by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion.

The aim of the event is to find a way to remove middlemen, allowing industrialists in India and Sri Lanka to deal directly with each other. This is akin to an independent business contract.

Kerala has selected five business sectors - rubber, tea, food products, perfumes and ready-mades to focus on as part of expanding business relations with Sri Lanka. Products from each sector will be displayed when the meeting is going on and the occasion will also encourage one-to-one meetings of business representatives from both countries.

Businessmen from Kerala will be able to visit Sri Lanka and bring goods to sell in India. Thirty stalls are to be set up and the B2B dialogue will last for two days. Other South Indian states will also be involved and Tamil Nadu will hold a separate meet later.