Capacity-building programmes for 30 craftsmen from textile industry of Sri Lanka
Daily FT: A 30-member delegation of handloom and powerloom craftsmen from Sri Lanka visited India from 9–15 November 2025 to participate in a specialised Textile Training and Capacity Building Program. The delegation represented both the handloom and powerloom segments of Sri Lanka’s textile industry. The programme was organised pursuant to the announcement made by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, offering 700 customised slots annually for Sri Lankan professionals.
The week-long training programme was conducted by the Government of India at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management (SVPISTM), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It featured a comprehensive set of technical and thematic sessions covering the entire textile value chain, including modules on weaving, modern design technologies, marketing, and leadership. These sessions were designed to enhance practical skills, strengthen industry exposure, and build advanced capabilities in design and production.
As part of their experiential learning, the participants undertook site visits to key institutions and industry facilities. These engagements offered valuable insights into contemporary textile ecosystems, production technologies, design development, and modern retail environments.
Beyond professional skill development, the programme provided the delegation with broader exposure to India’s textile innovation landscape, industrial best practices, and collaborative opportunities within the sector.
The specialised training programme for Sri Lankan textile craftsmen contributed meaningfully to strengthening professional competencies, encouraging knowledge sharing, and deepening institutional linkages in the textile sector between India and Sri Lanka.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s expanding economy has resulted in the need for the country’s SME sector, especially in the manufacturing sector, to expand and uplift operations to keep pace with the increasing demands locally and internationally. The training provided for Sri Lankan craftsmen in India is also indicative of the increasing business potential in the manufacturing industry as well as the potential to further expand the exports sector. These developments in turn indicate the expanding business/investment opportunities in the manufacturing SME sector, especially given the growing foreign markets for locally manufactured products due to Sri Lanka’s strong trade ties with many foreign countries. While Sri Lankan products, especially local crafts, enjoy a good foreign market, there’s potential for further expanding these markets through the diversification of the existing local craft exports. Given the growth and business potential in Sri Lanka’s manufacturing SMEs, especially in local crafts, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the business/investment opportunities in this sector while also looking at expanding operations through local collaborations.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20251124/Z_3 |