Enter international market, Media Minister tells businessmen

COLOMBO: Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa has called upon the business community to enter the international market by utilising the incentives and facilities afforded to them by the Government.

Yapa made this request when he attended the Wayamba and North Central Provincial Entrepreneurship awards ceremony 2005 at the Seasons Hotel, Kurunegala as chief guest last week.

Yapa said the Government had facilitated the export market by signing bilateral trade agreements with several countries.

The Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement in particular had opened a host of opportunities for exporters.

The government believed that the development of private entrepreneurship would lead to the country's economic development and improvement of the peoples living standards.

"For this, we should lay special emphasis on the export economy," the Minister said.

Therefore, I wish to request businessmen who have made their mark to venture into the export trade at least in a small way," he said.

Yapa said in Sri Lanka, the largest investments have been made in the SME sector.

"That is why the President had made the development of this sector one of his prime objectives," the Minister said.

Yapa also commended the Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and the Wayamba Chamber of Commerce and Industries for their efforts to induce rural industrialists to enter the field of international trade.

Proprietor, Dharmasiri Tyre House, Polonnaruwa P.H.G. Dharmasiri received the Best Entrepreneur Award for the NCP and proprietor Maxies Ltd, Wennappuwa Maxie Perera received the Best Entrepreneur Award for the Wayamba Province at the ceremony.

Gold, silver and bronze awards were also made to the outstanding entrepreneurs in the small, medium and large scale industrial sectors in addition to merit certificates.

Wayamba Provincial Council Minister of Health and Sports Neranjan Wickramasinghe was among the other invitees at this ceremony joint organised by the Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and the Wayamba Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

The Wayamba Chamber of Commerce and Industry Website 'www.wcci.info' was also launched at this ceremony.