UK Trade Partnership Programme promotes organic standards in Sri Lanka
Daily FT: The UK Trade Partnership Programme project in Sri Lanka, funded by the UK Government and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), aims to promote exports through facilitating access to markets, providing technical advisory services to SMEs, and strengthening business support organisations.
In this context the ‘Sensitisation training on organic standards for private sector operators’, which took place between 18 and 20 March at the Granbell Hotel in Colombo, raised awareness on the role of organic standards and certification among private sector operators and facilitated the exchange of best practices through a two-day theoretical training workshop and a one-day practical session at an organic coconut farm.
Following the training workshop, the ‘public-private stakeholders’ validation workshop on the assessment of the Sri Lankan organic standard against the IFOAM and Great Britain’s organic regulation’ took place on 21 March at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Colombo. The event brought together key stakeholders in the organic value chain from the public and private sectors.
“Our analysis indicates that Sri Lanka could significantly benefit from the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), particularly in sectors such as organic products. We understand that tariffs are not the only barrier to export, which is why we’re collaborating with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to bolster the technical skills of the industry, enabling them to access and thrive in the UK market. We provide this through the UK Trade Partnerships (UKTP) program. This includes targeted assistance for SMEs across various agricultural value chains, facilitated by the ITC. Through this program, SMEs receive trade promotion technical assistance, enhancing their competitiveness and facilitating entry into new export markets, including the UK,” said UK High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick.
“The recently concluded training and validation workshop conducted by the ITC has emerged as a trigger for Sri Lanka’s organic export growth and provided a crucial opportunity for stakeholders, including institutions, the exporting community, and associations, to take effective measures to bridge the gaps between the National Sri Lankan Organic Standard and the selected international organic requirements. It is important to utilise the newfound knowledge as a comparative advantage to enhance Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in the global marketplace,” emphasised Export Development Board of Sri Lanka Chairman Dr. Kingsley Bernard.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s path towards becoming a trading hub in the region are being further strengthened by programmes that are carried out in collaboration with foreign partners to ensure quality standards of goods traded by Sri Lanka. The move to review and further strengthen the country’s existing trade ties with other countries while looking at entering into new trade agreements with more countries have given a further impetus to Sri Lanka’s trading sector. All these developments and the promotional campaigns carried out by local authorities in foreign markets including new markets to push local products have resulted in a steady growth in Sri Lanka’s manufacturing and export sectors. With the ongoing economic activities in the country and the growth and business potential in Sri Lanka, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding opportunities in the country while also looking at setting up base in Sri Lanka to trade with other countries in thr region, using the preferential treatment enjoyed by the country.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20240408/Z_1 |