Lanka successfully clinches new Flemish investments
"Prospects for many Flemish firms are bright in Sri Lanka. We are
buoyant -and happy to say that two more Flemish Industrial regions are
sending investment delegations here before the end of this year," said
an upbeat Jos de Clerqc, the Trade & Investment Commissioner of
"Flanders Investment and Trade," the official government investment
agency of Flanders, the industrious Belgium province renowned for its
logistics hub Antwerp in Colombo.
Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri
Lanka (right) welcomes the Belgium delegation with a gift
handed over to Jos de Clerqc (Trade & Investment
Commissioner of “Flanders Investment & Tradeleft) in Colombo
as Pierre Pringiers, Honorary Consul of Belgium in Sri Lanka
(center) looks on. |
Commissioner Clerqc was apprising Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of
Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka on May 30, during a special reception
held for the strongest Belgium investment delegation (freshly arriving
from its Bangladesh tour) in town in recent history, which was
originally announced by Minister Bathiudeen when he was touring the
Flanders Region, Belgium on December 20, 2012.
During Minister Bathiudeen's December 2012 tour of Belgium, Kris
Peeters, the Minister President of Flanders Region accepted an
invitation, extended by Minister Bathiudeen to "Flanders Investment &
Trade" the official government investment agency of Flanders, to send an
investment delegation to Sri Lanka in May 2013.
Among the Flemish firms in the May 30, delegation were Anglo Belgian
Corporation (Infrastructure, Energy, Transport), Tractebel Engineering
SA (Infrastructure -Port, Water, Rail), Orfit Industries NV (Health),
UNIGOM NV (Rubber Tyre), Dredging International NV (Ports, Renewable
Energy), PACKO Inox NV (Food, Agriculture, Diary), Prospex bvba
(Consultancy), Poly Vision NV (Education), BESIX (Construction), and
Roam Chemie NV (Chemicals).
"The Balgium firm 'Tractabel Engineering' has found a promising entry
into Sri Lanka while two Belgium firms already operating here, have
decided to further expand their investments. These two firms are the
construction firm BESIX and United Tobacco Processing in Sri Lanka- the
sister firm of J. Cortès Cigars, prime cigar producer in Belgium,"
revealed Commissioner Clerqc and said: "Now I also like to intimate the
arrival of two more investment delegations from Belgium somewhere in
November, a delegation from Wallonia region, well known for hi-tech and
clean tech and also a delegation from Brussels region, well known for
financial services."
"Since 2005, the total bilateral trade has grown by 64%, rising to $
826 Mn by 2012. Diamond has been the main export from Sri Lanka to
Belgium in 2012, taking 52% of exports. I am pleased to note that such
leading Belgium companies, as United Tobacco Process Ltd, CFE Ltd, BESIX,
are already successfully operating in Sri Lanka. And I have experienced
the strong industrial capacity of Belgium when I visited the Flanders
region last year."
Minister Bathudeen said and added, "I am pleased to say that Sri
Lanka has become the highest ranking country in South Asia in the Doing
Business Index, which rose to rank 81, in 2013, from rank 89, in 2012. I
am pleased to say that we are now targeting Rank 30 by 2016."
Representatives of Tractabel Engineering, BESIX, and United Tobacco
Processing/ J. Cortès Cigars confirmed new and additional investments to
their local operations, but withheld from stating exact values. "Our new
investment expansion here will be in the Million Dollar range" said Paul
Callebaut, Besix' Resident Manager for Sri Lanka.
Emmanuel Blomme, CEO of United Tobacco Processing said: "Our
investment here already exceeds Euro 15 Mn. We have decided to double
our Sri Lanka output capacity in our B2B segment and recruit at least
1000 more to our BoI operations. We want to double our cigar-cuts output
to two billion per annum" said Emmanuel Blomme, CEO of United Tobacco
Processing.
"In addition to the 250 Mn Cigars produced in Sri Lanka destined for
Europe, United Tobacco Processing' also currently supplies one billion
cigar cuts to various Cigar manufacturers around the globe. It is this
B2B capacity we are strengthening," Emmanuel revealed. |