Sri Lankan organic farming businesses showcase export potential in Berlin
Daily FT: A high profile event held at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Berlin last month provided a unique platform for 10 Sri Lankan companies to showcase their organic agriculture products with export potential and connect them with potential buyers and investors in Europe.
Implemented as part of the ‘Support to Small and Medium Enterprises in the Organic Agriculture Sector’ program, jointly co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the ‘Flavours of Sri Lanka’ event was a collaboration between GIZ Sri Lanka, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Berlin, and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board.
The 10 displayed Sri Lankan organic products were: Banana blossom (Sayaladu CoCo); Coconuts (Ceylon Exports & Trading); Vanilla (D&P Ceylon Expo); Cinnamon (Savour Route); Pepper (Joint Agri Products Ceylon Ltd.); Jackfruit (Worga Naturals Ltd.); Mango (Ellawala Horticulture Ltd.); Blooming Tea (Gralgo from Ceylon Ltd.); Immunity Booster Drink (Adhitya Ayurveda); and Moringa Powder (Lanka Good Market Gte Ltd.). European buyers and investors were able to discover and try the products while interacting with the respective companies and building business connections. Enhancing the atmosphere at the event, fusion dishes were prepared from the products on display to the audience, thus bringing them to life.
Notable speakers at the event included Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the States of South Asia of Deutsche Bundestag Chair and former Federal Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture of Germany Renate Künast, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Germany Varuni Muthukumaran, European Commission International Officer responsible for Sri Lanka Tomasz May, and GIZ Berlin Head Randa Kourieh. Also in attendance were senior Sri Lankan Government officials representing the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Standards Institute, Sri Lanka Accreditation Board, and Department of Agriculture, as part of an International Study Tour that was funded through the ‘Support to Small and Medium Enterprises in the Organic Agriculture Sector’ program co-financed by the EU and BMZ.
The event highlighted the EU and GIZ work done in the field of Organic Agriculture in Sri Lanka, which included supporting over 1,000 farmers and over 100 private sector companies. GIZ Sri Lanka and EU have been leveraging Sri Lanka’s organic agriculture industry, by providing technical inputs and knowledge to uplift the industry’s export potential.
OSL take:
The government of Sri Lanka is focused on promoting organic farming while working towards achieving sustainable development goals. Sri Lanka’s agriculture industry is a fast-growing sector in the country presenting many business/investment opportunities and the organic farming business has presented a host of new business/investment opportunities for foreign businesses/investors. The incentive schemes presented by the government of Sri Lanka to businesses engaged in the agriculture industry as well as the many trade agreements and trade concessions enjoyed by the country have all helped attract foreign businesses/investors to the organic farming business. The international exposure received by the sector, the expanding opportunities and the profits recorded by the companies engaged in organic farming are a clear indication of the growth and business potential in the sector. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore the expanding opportunities in Sri Lanka’s organic farming business while also looking at forming partnerships or joint ventures with local businesses with the aim of further expansion.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20231016/Z_2 |