Dayasiri meets Ceylon Chamber, calls for investments in Wayamba

Tuesday, 8 July 2014 01:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Chief Minister of the North Western Provincial Council Dayasiri Jayasekera has invited the dairy, pharmaceutical and tourism sectors players operating in the country to take advantage of the vast amount of investment opportunities offered in Wayamba. Jayasekera made this invitation when he met a group of local businessmen recently at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC). During the meeting, which was organised by the Ceylon Chamber, Jayasekera said if a potential investor comes into the North Western Province; his administration would provide all the required facilities and clearance to conduct their businesses at ease. “Our province’s contribution to national GDP is 9.6%. We want to increase it to 15%. Towards this end, we are looking at several areas to develop,” the Chief Minister told the businessmen. “For investments, we are basically looking at three areas – pharmaceutical, dairy products and the hotel sector,” he added. He said the close proximity to the airport, availability of investor-friendly institutions such as the Industrial Services Bureau and the Provincial Environmental Authority, availability of land, educated labour force and also a good transport network are some of the reasons investors should invest in the North Western Province. The discussion was attended by the representatives of top notch local corporate firms such as John Keells Hotels, Jetwing Hotels, Nestlé, Milco, Richlife, CIC Dairies, Ceylon Biscuits, Tamarind, Akbar Pharmaceuticals, Astron Ltd., Galaxo SmithKline, Sunshine Holdings and several other firms. Ceylon Chamber Chairman Suresh Shah, Acting Secretary General of the Chamber Alikie Perera and CEO of the Industrial Services Bureau of the North Western Province Neelakanth Wanninayake took part in the discussion. During the occasion, the Chief Minister also said: “We want to develop the tourism sector based on the history of the five kingdoms of the province and are also looking to attract international cricket into the region by developing the Welagedera Cricket Stadium.” One of the outcomes of the meeting was the decision taken by the representatives of the Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry to visit Wariyapola to inspect a land allocated in the area to develop a pharmaceutical zone. The North Western Province consists of a population of 2.3 million persons and has contributed 9.6% to the national GDP during 2012. The unemployment rate of the province stood as 5.45% as of 2012. Coconut and paddy are the major crops of the province, while the province is also home to valuable mineral resources such as graphite, mica, silica sand and miocene. It also has several industrial zones such as Heraliyawela, Dangaspitiya, Dambadeniya, Makandura West and East, Pannila and Lunuwila, etc.