Sri Lanka receives support from Japan for tea and tourism industries
Japan has reportedly informed Sri Lanka of the country’s willingness to promote Sri Lanka’s 150-year-old global brand Ceylon Tea, as well as help revive the tourism industry.
This message was conveyed by the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Akira Sugiyama to Sri Lanka’s Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana during a recent meeting.
Sugiyama has said that Japan would extend all possible assistance to boost and promote the Ceylon Tea brand in Japan as the brand was quite admired by the Japanese people.
The Ambassador has then extended support to revive the Sri Lanka’s post-Covid tourism industry. Sugiyama has recalled the tourist attractions he had visited in Sri Lanka
The Japanese envoy has also extended an invitation to Dr. Pathirana to visit Japan.
Dr. Pathirana had reiterated the long friendship of the two countries and appreciated the Japanese government for extending its assistance, particularly during the third wave of the COvid 19 outbreak in Sri Lanka by providing the AstraZeneca vaccines to successfully mitigate the situation.
The Minister has also acknowledged the valuable contribution made by Ambassador Sugiyama in strengthening bilateral relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.
Both the Minister and Japanese envoy have discussed at length how Sri Lanka could further expand its export market in Japan.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka and Japan enjoy strong bilateral and trade ties. The statements made by the Japanese envoy is indicative of a growing interest of Japan in doing business with Sri Lanka. Japan is also a key development partner of Sri Lanka and is involved in many development programmes in the island. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and the many trade agreements as well as concessions enjoyed by the country along with the ongoing development programme have made the island an attractive business/investment destination. Japanese businesses/investors could therefore confidently explore the growing opportunities in Sri Lanka. They could also look at the possibility of setting up base in Sri Lanka to engage with other countries in the region or form partnerships or joint ventures with local businesses.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20211022/Z_3 |