Business Rendezvous

Lanka's marketing campaign still dull - Janaka Boteju

Shirajiv Sirimane

Sri Lankan companies have tremendous business opportunities overseas and the CEO's, marketing managers and other decision makers should be spending most of the year overseas.

Any product can be marketed if there is a proper marketing plan and what is needed is the determination to succeed. Sri Lanka is yet to market their culture (songs) and food properly and one can see Lankan restaurant overseas only in places where there is a Sri Lankan community.

Why cannot Kottu Rotty or other food items be made famous just like Chinese noodles, Pizza, Pasta and the Indian foods asks Managing Director Bernards Group of Companies, Janaka Boteju.

He says that whenever a bomb goes off, the tourism industry laments that everything is finished and starts thinking negative. However in countries such as India where bombs go off more frequently the marketing campaigns are very strong. "Infact they are even stronger than bombs," he said.

"When you travel back to Sri Lanka you can see Maldives tourism promotional advertisements everywhere including onboard SriLankan airlines flights. Tourists who do not know geography may think that Male is part of Sri Lanka! We need a similar campaign for Sri Lanka as well."

Perhaps the closed markets of the 1970s was the most intriguing period for then-young Janaka Botejue when he saw traders line up with bundles of money, dump it on the table of his father, Bernard Botejue, and plead for goods.

"That was the cash era where anything that was produced was sold: good or bad quality.

"It was a difficult period but it was a cash market in the domestic scene. I remember as a kid, people coming and leaving bundles of cash on the table and telling my father 'Mahattaya mahapu davasata badu denna.' That was a seller's paradise as goods were in short supply," he recalls.

"We were seated in the small corporate office of Bernards, at Kohuwela discussing the travails and tribulations of the company. Bernards celebrated 60 years in the business last month and along with Velona and Maxim is among a few of the surviving businesses - of the 1950s/1960s generation - in this industry.

Bernard Botejue, a visionary who died in 1998 aged 84, and his wife (now 78), raised a business from a mere 'tuggarung' (zinc) shed to a successful entity that has stood the test of time and moved on - with the help of his sons - to different areas of activity.

Q: How do you feel to run a business that came on a platter to you from your ancestors?

Well family business has advantages as well as problems. As far as I am concerned we now run the business as a separate entity. Since I took over we have reinvested, diversified and have pumped in capital to existing business and has converted it to a 100 percent export oriented company mainly focusing on the UK and USA markets.

Today my involvement in the business is almost zero. We have long standing employees who have started as cutters and clerks and they have been given authority to take decisions to run the operations which are turning out to be very successful.

In 1986 they decided to move in to Kolonna and Hambantota to set up garment factories taking advantage of the incentives offered by late President Premadasa.

His intension in setting up garment factories was to help money flow to rural areas which worked very well. Today I like the area so much that I have even bought a tea estate and converted its bungalow to a holiday home.

Q: How do you see the state patronage for the garment industry during the Premadasa regime and today?

When former President Premadasa brought out the garment industry concept the public private partnership worked very smoothly. The main reason for it to succeed was the check and balance system that the former President personally took an interest for.

When a site was selected he personally visited it and made sure the infrastructure was in place. This made things very easy for the entrepreneur. In contrast today there is so much of red tape and there is no proper supervision, leadership and there is a coordination gap.

Q: How do you see the GSP Plus?

Well first let me tell that too much of hype is created for the subject and due to this I do not want to talk about it too much. However the relevant associations and the government authorities have addressed this and I am sure Sri Lanka would keep on enjoying the benefit of GSP in the future as well.

Q: How is the local fashion Industry?

Sri Lankans in the city are very fashion conscious. In rural areas too youths are spending and taking time to be fashion conscious. The main reason for is that people are exposed to the world by travelling and also by television.

Q: In your opinion what is the way forward for Sri Lanka?

I think Sri Lanka should concentrate on agriculture as there is a global food crisis looming. In addition the country should also look at converting itself to a trading hub.

Q: What do you think of handouts?

This is a big stumbling block to the country. People depend too much and work less due to subsidies. If you take the free education both the child and the parent know that there is a plain sailing from grade one to garden 10 as there is no pass mark to reach the next grade.

What should be done is to have a pass mark and if a student does not get it the parent should pay for the child. This will motivate both the parent and the Child to study harder.

Q: What do you think of the ethnic conflict?

Well it's up to the Forces and the Government to handle that. However if the colonisation programme launched by D.S. Senanayake was completed we would not be talking about this subject. The Sinhala Only Bill too created a platform for this. I still think a proper transport system could iron out divisions.

You see if there is a highway one can go to Trincomalee in three hours and there would be may families who would go for a swim and come back in the evening. Even I am still being treated as a Pitagamkaraya (outsider) in Kolonna and Hambantota since I cannot physically be there most of the time.

If I can travel to Hambantota in less than three hours I can visit the area frequently.

Q: How do you see the local tax structure and the electricity tariffs?

Well it's too high and if there is a lower tax more people would be paying taxes and on the long run revenue would be higher. Electricity is the highest in the region. Its useless complaining. What should be done is to look for energy efficiency. The Ceylon Electricity Board too should try to minimise waste and run efficiently.

Q: How do you review the Provincial Councils?

This is a good concept. However more powers should be given to it.

Q: Do you follow politics?

Yes. However I am just a reader.

Q: Where would you like to spend your holiday overseas?

I like the US and like to see the old Europe. I hate hotels and prefer travelling with family groups and staying in villa type accommodation.