Thailand to step up bilateral trade with Lanka

Indunil Hewage

Thailand is ready to step up bilateral trade volumes with Sri Lanka in the coming years. In 2011, total trade between Sri Lanka and Thailand stood at $ 580 million and both way trade had increased considerably during the recent past. Addressing the seminar organized by the National Chamber of Commerce on “Bilateral Trade and Economic Relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand”, Thailand Ambassador to Sri Lanka Poldej Worachat said “there is a lot of scope to improve trade between two countries and our strong relationship with Sri Lanka will give us a ready access to this market.

Thailand economy has bounced back to normalcy after the massive floods that swept through many parts of the country last year and it is imperative to explore more business and investment opportunities to enhance trade activities between Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The ambassador also requested Sri Lankan business community to make use of Thailand’s liberal investment policy to a greater extent to further invest in potential business area of Thailand.

Thailand’s major exports to Sri Lanka are chemical products, machinery , cement, sugar, health and spa products, while Sri Lanka’s exports to Thailand include gem, tea, spices, garments, fiber and metal products. Thailand is the world’s number one rice exporter as well as the rubber producer.