Sri Lanka to facilitate, protect & promote liberal ecosystem for Indian investors: Foreign Secretary Aryasinha

Jul 23, 2020

NEW DELHI, 23 July 2020: Mr Ravinatha Aryasinha, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Relations, Sri Lanka on Tuesday said that the investment environment in Sri Lanka for Indian investors is conducive not only because of its stable leadership but also due to the strong bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and India. This was consolidated on following the early visits of the President, Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to India where areas of cooperation was fully reviewed.

Addressing the webinar 'Deepening Economic Collaboration between India and Sri Lanka', organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) jointly with the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI), Mr Aryasinha said, "India is among the top 5 foreign investors in Sri Lanka. The government is committed to facilitating, protecting and promoting the liberal investment climate in Sri Lanka by continuing to realign the systems and procedures to suit modern business needs. The prospective investors are encouraged to take advantage of these untouched investment opportunities in the island."

Highlighting the potential areas of investment in Sri Lanka, he said that the government is targeting more investment in high value products. "India is strong in sectors like textiles, IT, agribusiness and the private sector of our two countries can explore collaboration related to investment, technology transfer in these sectors," Mr Aryasinha added.

He said, "In the manufacturing sector, we would welcome Indian businesses in developing industrial zones, automotive components, pharma, textiles and engineering, which are areas that could offer huge potential. The ongoing infrastructure improvement projects and development of roads, ports and airports will contribute and facilitate connecting linkages for the business sector."

The Secretary noted, "Sri Lanka also has enormous potential as a tourist destination, given that Indians are approximately 20% of our tourist arrivals. Investment opportunities could be considerable in this sector as well, following in the footsteps of the Taj and ITC groups' profitable investment in the hospitality sector, which has also contributed to boosting the quality of Sri Lankan tourism." 

Emphasizing on the policy reforms undertaken by the government, Mr Aryasinha, "We are taking a number of measures to strengthen the investment climate and investment laws are being reviewed to suit the modern-day requirement. All efforts of our government are to create an economy firmly based on foreign and domestic private investments, driven by a dynamic and forward-looking private sector."

Elaborating on the bilateral trade between the two countries, he said, "India accounts for 20 percent of total Sri Lankan imports and is the third largest export destination for Sri Lanka."

Commenting on Sri Lankan exports, Secretary Aryasinha said that difficulties in market access, often created due to non-tariff barriers in receiving countries, has become an impediment to our farmers. He urged FICCI to collaborate with the Sri Lankan Mission in New Delhi to particularly help boost the export of Sri Lankan spices and concentrates including pepper to the Indian market.

Mr Aryasinha added that in terms of exports, "Sri Lanka acts as a gateway not only to the Indian sub-continent, but also to affluent consumers in the European Union. This will clearly open new opportunities for Indian investors who can operate from Sri Lanka on a preferential basis, and access the large market of India, as well as the EU."

His Excellency Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka said that the current time calls for policies oriented to the future and the ones that balances the need for economic security with efficient utilization of complementary economic strengths of the two countries. "As India moves towards Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance), its integration with global supply and value chains will be an added opportunity for our close partners like Sri Lanka. This will build more long-term ties with our commercial entities and enhance capacities, promote employment and increase prosperity," he added.

Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI said that healthcare and pharma are potential sectors of collaboration between India and Sri Lanka. Other focus sectors like tourism and hospitality have been strong areas of mutual interest. These two sectors are also among the worst affected as a result of the pandemic and we should discuss ways to rejuvenate them. She urged both governments to revive the India-Sri Lanka CEO forum to explore opportunities in business and investment.

Mr Manoj Chugh, Chair, South Asia Regional Council, FICCI and President, Group Public Affairs & Member of the Group Executive Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said that there are new sectors which are yet to be tapped and that Indian and Sri Lankan companies should form alliances to tap them.

Mr Nitin Seth, Chief Operating Officer, Ashok Leyland; Mr Ashok Anantharaman, Co-Chair, South Asia Regional Council, FICCI and Director - International Business CNH Industrial (India) Pvt. Ltd.; Mr Prasanjith Wijayatilake, Executive Director, Investment Promotion, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka; Dr Prasad Jayasuriya, Director, Tourism Planning, Development and Investor Relations, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Dr Lakshitha Pahalagedara, Head of Business Development, Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology also shared their perspective on strengthening India-Sri Lanka economic relationship.