National Gem and Jewellery:

Authority targets USD 1,000 m income

Ridma Dissanayake

The National Gem and Jewellery Authority will increase its income from USD 500 million to USD 1,000 million in the near future, said Authority's Chairman General Rohan Daluwatta.

He was addressing the distribution ceremony of identity cards to jewellery industrialists at the National Gem and Jewellery Authority recently. The first batch of identity cards were distributed among Gampaha district industrialists as the initial phase of the programme.

These identity cards will help industrialists to obtain international recognition and overcome problems when transporting chemicals and other equipment.

Gem and Jewellery industry is one of the leading industries in Sri Lanka which plays a key role in the country's economy, said Daluwatta. According to the Mahinda Chinthana Future Vision, all measures have been taken by the authority to uplift and strengthen the livelihoods of jewellery industrialists.

The authority has provided facilities to buy gem and jewellery equipment at low prices, he added.

The authority has taken measures to create an international market to local industrialists by conducting exhibitions. They hope to provide scholarships to the industrialists as well. Steps have been taken to solve the industry's technical problems. "Creativity and new designs are the most important aspects to win the international market and measures will be taken in the near future to develop creativeness of industrialists.

"The Gem and Jewellery Authority will conduct seminars, discussions and training programmes islandwide in this regard," Daluwatta said. He added that the jewellery should have good quality. The authority has taken measures to give a hallmark to the jewellery while testing their quality.

National Gem and Jewellery Authority Director General Ajith Perera, Gem Scientist Chief Assessor Edirisinghe, Gorakadeniya Jewellery Industrialists' Association Chairman Sudath Priyantha and a large number of its members participated.