Sri Lanka’s leading apparel exporters said that they want to enhance the access for the Sri Lankan apparel products to the Indian market.
Exporters expressed these views to the newly appointed Chairman of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), Prabhash Subasinghe and sought the assistance of the EDB for the removal of Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement’s quota restrictions on Sri Lankan-made garments.
Subasinghe who met with the nation’s leading apparel exporters last Friday (17) at the Board premises stated that he has already discussed this with the Department of Commerce and EDB will follow up with them on the future cause of action.
Furthermore, the industry stake holders also pointed out the significance of developing a local fabric base for the apparel industry and highlighted the importance in expediting the proposed dedicated manufacturing zone in Eravur, which intends to attract manufacturers of textiles.
The industry stressed the importance of creating an enabling environment to make Sri Lanka the hub for Global apparel industry by managing front office operations as the apparel industry in Sri Lanka has more or less reached its full capacity.
The industry representatives elaborated on their plans to project Sri Lanka as a sustainable manufacturing destination for apparel by highlighting the industry’s excellent labour practices and carbon-neutrality in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the Sri Lankan apparel industry in the global marketplace. They sought the support of the EDB in this regard.
The delegation also praised the efforts of the EDB in supporting the country’s SME apparel exporters in respect of compliance improvement and market penetration.
Subasinghe also expressed his gratitude to the Sri Lankan apparel exporter community for their contribution and commitment towards the country’s economic development and shared his satisfaction with the noteworthy performance of the sector during 2019 in spite of the challenges faced.The delegation included Chairman and Secretary General of the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), MAS, Brandix, Hirdaramani, EAM Maliban Textiles and Star Garments, Original Apparel.
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