Tuesday, 21 April 2015 01:13
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Sri Lanka today wooed industries in North India, particularly in tourism, healthcare, pharmaceutical, live stock management, for boosting bilateral trade with India.
The island nation is focusing on north Indian states “primarily because of immense production capacities here for which we can offer perfect production distribution facilities in Lanka”, Sudharshan Seneviratne, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, said here during an interactive session organised by CII today.
“Considering the huge amount of trust and cordial reciprocity with India, we hope to consolidate our relations and work actively for the benefit of industries of both countries.
“We are fully committed to facilitating industries from Punjab and Haryana to enter into joint ventures or agreements with their counterparts in Sri Lanka in these sectors. We will offer you best working as well as managerial labour, especially with 95 per cent of our population being literate,” he said.
Seneviratne further said he would soon discuss possibility of holding roadshows across Indian states to enhance B2B ties.
“Further, by collaborating together, Sri Lanka can act as an ideal transshipment Centre for Indian goods to be further exported throughout the world through our harbours across the Indian Ocean. This would save a lot of your transit costs and time,” the High Commissioner explained.
While inviting SMEs from the tricity to invest and forge partnerships in Sri Lanka, he said, “We hope ‘Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement’ (CEPA), with which we have some reservations, would be signed soon and would greatly help the two countries.
He also talked of a Guru Nanak Trail in Sri Lanka blended with heritage and excursion trips “across the voyages of the guru to attract tourists from North India”.
The Ramayana trail will soon have improved infrastructure facilities and come equipped with a lot of other facilities like tourist info centres, guides, proper trains, beautiful beaches, golf ranges and hotels, he said.
Amarbir Singh, Chairman, CII Chandigarh Council, said India’s relationship with Sri lanka is mutually beneficial and wide ranging, covering development, regional stability, trade and investment, agriculture, minerals, railway etc.
India emerged as the largest trading partner in 2012 by accounting for nearly 20 per cent of Sri Lanka’s imports and 5.6 per cent of its total exports, he said. (Business Standard)
