Sri Lankan handicrafts on show for first time at Saudi Handicrafts Expo
Daily FT: The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh successfully organised the first-ever participation of four Sri Lankan companies of handicrafts at the Saudi International Handicrafts Week Exhibition “Banan 2024” held in Riyadh from 23 to 29 November in collaboration with the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ameer Ajwad officially inaugurated the Sri Lankan pavilion at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Centre.
While interacting with the artisans at a follow up meeting held at the Embassy, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad stressed that the participation of Sri Lankan SME companies of handicrafts at the international exhibitions will help to showcase and market their products to the international audience and particularly in Saudi Arabia where mega projects in tourism and hospitality sectors are unfolding. He also highlighted that providing exposure for the new products introduced by Sri Lankan SMEs and Startup companies will help to diversify the export basket of Sri Lanka and support the handicrafts industry of Sri Lanka.
The Saudi International Handicrafts Week Exhibition “Banan 2024” is annually organised by the Saudi Heritage Commission under the patronage of the Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia.
Welcoming Ambassador Ameer Ajwad to the inauguration of the International Handicrafts Expo, Saudi Heritage Commission CEO Dr. Jasir Alharbis presented a memento to the Ambassador.
Artisans from over 25 countries participated at this Banan Expo 2024.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is currently on a programme to diversify and further expand the country’s export product portfolio while also further strengthening and expanding trade ties with foreign countries including with new partners. While the strong trade ties enjoyed by Sri Lanka with foreign countries have helped boost the country’s exports sector, local authorities have also been engaged in several programmes through Sri Lanka’s overseas missions to promote the extensive list of products manufactured in the country for the foreign markets. Special attention has also been given to local arts and crafts exports given the expanding market in the global arena. All these are indicative of the increasing business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s exports market, especially in the manufacture of local arts and crafts. Given the growth and business potential in the local manufacturing and export sectors, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding opportunities in these sectors. Foreign businesses could also look at forming collaborations with local businesses in the manufacturing and export sectors with the aim of further expansion in the international markets using the strong trade ties held by Sri Lanka with many foreign countries.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20241213/Z_3 |