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Sri Lanka's export community yesterday called upon the Government to reinstate the National Export Development Council of Ministers which was prevalent in the early 1990s which was instrumental in the facilitation of all support services for the export trade.

This Council was very effective in providing the support services for export business and now it has become redundant, they told the symposium on National Export Strategy 2003-2008 at the Sri Lanka Export Development Board yesterday.

Increase competitiveness in the export sector was the message of the Secretary to the Ministry of Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy, Investment Promotion and Constitutional Affairs Ranjit Fernando who called upon the export community to look at the micro - issues which have debilitated the export industries and not to worry about the macro -issues relating to power generation which are currently beyond their control.

The Government and the Ministry of Enterprise Development will unreservedly extend their fullest support to the export community, he said. He called upon the Export Development Board to revamp its strategy so that it could fully provide an integrated service to the export community without merely playing the role of the facilitator as at now.

EDB Chairman Ratna Sivaratnam said that the EDB and the National Trade Promotion Office has initiated the formulation of the National Export Development Strategy for 2003-2008 initiated by Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and this will be done technically with the computer based tool which has been developed by the International trade Centre in Geneva.

He said that private, public sector partnerships were essential for the development of the sector in the drawing up of the national export strategy and implementation. He said that the correct resources had to be allocated for this operation. The EDB Chief also stressed increasing competitiveness. He said that the National Export Strategy should be designed to increase value addition and value retention as well, he said.

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