Fair Trade Exhibition to focus on Japanese market
 

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry together with Small and Rural Industries Ministry have organised an "International Fair Trade Exhibition 2005" to provide an opportunity to small and medium scale industrialists to get exposure to the modern trade world, particularly the Japanese market.

The exhibition organised under the Japan-Sri Lanka Fair Trade Project will be held at the Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo from August 5 to 7.

The international trade exhibitions prime objective is to open the Japanese market for products made by youth and small and medium scale industrialists while introducing Sri Lankan products to the Japanese, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga told the media at the Sugathadasa Sports Hotel recently.

The Minister said the exhibition will provide an opportunity to the small and medium scale industrialists to directly join Japanese businessmen without any middlemen. A large number of Japanese nationals are due to attend this trade exhibition. In addition, buyers from several other countries are also expected to participate.

The Foreign Ministry, Tourism Ministry, National Youth Services Council (NYSC) and Laksala have extended their assistance to make this exhibition a success. The cultural section of the NYSC will include a series of cultural items to the exhibition to promote our indigenous culture, he said.

Programs will also be conducted to promote minor export crops while various awareness programs will be launched to promote peace in Sri Lanka.

During the exhibition, sports and cultural programs will also be conducted to strengthen the friendship between Sri Lankan youth and Japanese youth, he said. Arrangements have been made to show the country's cultural and historic places to the Japanese who come to Sri Lanka for this exhibition. The Japanese will also make a field visit from August 8 to 10 to assist the people displaced by the tsunami.

President of the Japan-Sri Lanka Fair Trade Project Kazuyuki Kiyota said that through the fair trade exhibition, a systematic program will be implemented for selling Sri Lankan products such as tea, coffee, cotton and raw materials creating an opportunity to producers to obtain higher prices. "When this program is implemented, Sri Lankan farmers will be able to sell their products at good rates."

He said this exhibition hopes to strengthen bilateral ties between two countries with the intention of helping Sri Lankan small and medium scale businessmen to sell their products.

"Due to the tsunami, there is a slight decrease in tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka. In order to assist the Government to rebuild the tourism industry, thousands of Japanese tourists and industrialists are expected to come to Sri Lanka to attend this exhibition. The Japan Travel Bureau has already implemented an awareness campaign in Japan for this purpose."

In connection with this exhibition, the Japan Travel Bureau has implemented its publicity campaign under three key sectors to provide information to Japanese people on key religious, cultural and national attractions in Sri Lanka, he said.