Govt to launch 'Buy Sri Lankan' campaign

Boost for local products:

Rohan Mathes

COLOMBO: The Government will shortly launch a Ganna Ape De (Buy Sri Lankan goods) campaign to popularise local products.

The programme is being implemented by the Mawbima Lanka Foundation (MLF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Industrial Development and the Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA).

This will be launched in line with the Mahinda Chintanaya.

The project will encourage and propagate 'Patriotic Marketing', a market concept which has been highly successful in Japan and other countries adopting a free market policy.

In 'Patriotic Marketing' the consumer takes many factors into consideration, and after a psychological battle, finally decides to buy the indigenous product or service, based on a sense of sheer patriotism or 'Ownsomeness' (Apey kama).

This process will lead to enhanced production and the development of our own indigenous industries which will in turn generate more employment opportunities locally.

With a 'Demand side approach' and the dream of a marketplace where consumers typically seek out and use Sri Lankan products and services, Mawbima Lanka will award selected brands the right to use the Ganna Ape De logo, in recognition of that brand being truly Sri Lankan.

Local business organisations may obtain the logo on application to the MLF, who will assess their products and services to ensure and ascertain whether they meet the MLF required standards and criteria. On meeting such specifications, those brands could join the ranks of truly Sri Lankan products and services recognised islandwide.

The MLF's long-term objective is to enhance the demand and the consumption of locally produced goods and services. To achieve this end, an intensive and large-scale advertising campaign will be launched countrywide, to create awareness of the Ganna Ape De logo.

The campaign will also be used to encourage and promote the local entrepreneurs to acquire the logo for their own brands. Those brands which have duly obtained the logo, could print the Ganna Ape De logo on their products and their business communications.