Lankan rubber industry delegation off to Norway

A delegation from the rubber industry sponsored by the Sri Lanka-Norway Business Matchmaking Program (BMMP) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will leave for Norway this weekend.

From left: Nilan Thimbiripola, Raj Fernando, Irshan Jayah, Lalith Jayawardana, Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma, Kirthi Wanasinghe, Gerry Suraweera, Saifuddin Jafferjee, Mohommed Suleiman, and Kevin Wijeratna

At a meeting held  at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Board Room, Program Director Gerry Suraweera stated that this was a historic event for the local rubber industry as this was the first-ever delegation to visit the Nordic region. Rubber product exports take the third position after apparels and tea and should be promoted vigorously as it is the only renewable industrial raw material available in Sri Lanka, he said, adding that during the last eight months, despite a drop in total export earnings, rubber products exports grew by 2.1%.

The BMMP has been in operation since 1994 as a project of the CCC and is now in its fourth phase. This visit has been made possible by the diligent work done by its partner organisation in Norway, AB Partners, which is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad.

CEO/Senior Business Partner Tore Karlstad worked tirelessly to organise it and is responsible for the overall planning. The companies selected according to the requirements of the Norwegian market are Dipped Products PLC, Richard Pieris Exports PLC, Samson Industries PLC, Elastomeric Engineering Co. Ltd, Jafferjee Bros. Exports Ltd., and Polymer Products Ltd.

Kirthi Wanasinghe, President of the Plastics and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka, stated that he was very happy that the delegation’s visit to Norway had become a reality. “This may be the first occasion ever for a rubber industry delegation to leave our shores on a business matchmaking mission,” he added.

Saifuddin Jafferjee, Chairman, Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP), who is also a member of the delegation, said that entering the Nordic market was a difficult proposition and thanked the BMMP for organising the delegation. He also stressed that industry specific delegation to visit international markets would be an effective model to promote major export products from Sri Lanka.

At the meeting, the members were briefed about the program and were presented with the delegation’s official badge, visit brochure and literature about Norwegian business culture.