Online edition of Daily News

The Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said that the Ministry's basic target is to find immediate solutions to the problems with regard to investment, export and trades which restrict entrepreneurs' competing in the global market with the assistance of the Export Development Board (EDB).

Minister Bogollagama hands over Rs. 1 million to the Association of Anthurium Growers from Kurunegala at the Exporters’ Forum. -
Picture by Ranjith Jayaweera

"We should harness our resources to meet big demand in the global market. The Ministry provides facilities to develop a local trade network by giving equal opportunities to everybody to meet competitiveness according to the global demand," the Minister said.

Twenty-four issues concerned with exports, trade and investment were taken up and sixteen of them were resolved at the Sri Lanka Export Development Board's second export and enterprises development forum on Tuesday in Colombo.

Among the main issues were the simplification of procedures, finalisation of legal agreements on land, rescheduling of loans and speedy reimbursement of Value Added Tax (VAT).

On a request of International Foodstuff Company Agri Bio-Tech (Pvt) Ltd to reduce lease rental of the land at Thunkama where a modern hybrid farm is established, Chairman of the EDB Rohantha Athukorala said under the government's concept of setting up model farms in the country they are negotiating to obtain identified lands in selected areas and subsequently lease out these lands for export oriented commercial farming on a negotiated basis.

In response to a request by the Association of Anthurium Growers for export in Kurunegala to implement the loan scheme formulated by the EDB for the development of anthurium cultivation for export, the EDB Chairman said that the matter has already been solved and the project is going on successfully now.

They will export anthurium for the Japanese and Nertherland markets soon. The EDB granted Rs. 1 million to the association to improve the cultivation.