49
ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2015/2016
ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS
2015/2016
The Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was established in 1935 and
functions under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
The membership consists of leading local business organizations as well as multi-national
companies representing the manufacturing, trading as well as the service sector.
To be the most influential and effective voice of the importers in the business community.
To facilitate our members to add value to their business by:-
Providing a forum for topical issues that would pre-empt desirable legislation ensuring a level
playing field and adding value to our members’ businesses.
Providing services and information that would facilitate efficient resource utilization and the
simplification of procedures in Supply Chain Management.
Reducing cost of importation by bench-marking against accepted trade practices of developed
countries and by reducing transaction cost and financial cost involved
Vision
Mission
Import Section Executive Committee 2015/2016
Seated L-R
Ajith De Silva (Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd), K. Kunendran (Abans Ltd), Delano Dias
(Cargills Ceylon PLC), Nishan Nanayakkara (Vice Chairman – Import Section CCC), Ceylon
Biscuits Ltd, Dinesh De Silva (Chairman of Import Section CCC), Unilever Ceylon Ltd, Kevin
Edwards (Imm. Past Chairman – Import Section CCC), E B Creasy & Co. PLC), Jerald Suvendra
(Cargills Ceylon PLC), Adrian Oswald (Richard Pieris & Co. Plc)
Standing L-R
Manjula Maldeniya (Secretary), Anura Fernando (Douglas & Sons (Pvt) Ltd), Sanjeewa
Samaranayake (Hemas Pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd), Yasantha Abeykoone (David Peiris Motor Co.
Ltd), Jayen Costa (Nestle Lanka Plc), Thanveer Siddique (Pyramid Wilmar Ltd), Mr. Anuk
Wijeyeratne (Hayleys Plc), Thulitha Mendis (Singer Sri Lanka PLC), Manjula Devasinghe,
(Smithkline Beecham (Pvt) Ltd), Manori Dissanayake (Secretary)
THE CEYLON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – IMPORT SECTION
OFFICE BEARERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2015/2016
CHAIRMAN
Mr. Dinesh De Silva Unilever Sri Lanka Limited
VICE CHAIRMAN
Mr. Nishan Nanayakkara Ceylon Biscuits Limited
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN
Mr. Kevin Edwards E B Creasy & Co. PLC
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Abans PLC Mr. K. Kunendran
Cargills Ceylon PLC Mr. Delano Dias
David Peiris Motor Co Ltd Mr. Yasantha Abeykoone
Douglas & Sons (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Anura Fernando
Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Ajith De Silva
Hayleys PLC Mr. Anuk Wijeyeratne
Hemas Pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Sanjeewa Samaranayake
Nestle Lanka PLC Mr. Jayen Costa
Pyramid Wilmar (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Thanveer Siddique
Richard Peiris & Co PLC Mr. Adrian Oswald
Singer Sri Lanka PLC Mr. Thulitha Mendis
Smithkline Beecham (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Manjula Devasinghe
PAST CHAIRMEN OF THE IMPORT SECTION OF THE CEYLON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Year
1935 –1939
1940 – 1942
1943 – 1944
1945 – 1946
1947
1948
1949
1950 – 1951
1951
1951
1952
1953 – 1954
1954
1954 – 1956
1957
1957
1957 – 1959
1959
1959 – 1961
1961
1961 – 1962
1963 – 1964
1964
1964 – 1965
1966
1966
1967 – 1968
1969 – 1971
1972 – 1973
1974 – 1978
1979 – 1980
1981 – 1987
1987 – 1994
1994 – 2002
2002 – 2006
2006 - 2009
2009 - 2012
2012 - 2014
2014 to date
Sir J A Tarbat
Mr. R P L Ross
Mr. A M Thalmann
Mr. R P L Ross
Mr. R F Edge
Mr. R P L Ross
Mr. L Matthews
Mr. C F H Edwards
Mr. R P L Ross
Mr. L E Heal
Mr. C F H Edwards
Major J H Hoare
Mr. J O Clazey
Major J H Hoare
Mr. G D Gordon
Mr. B G Thornley
Mr. G D Gordon
Mr. M M Fielding
Mr. G D Gordon
Mr. R G J Baynoton
Mr. G D Gordon
Mr. B D Collins
Mr. J Fosbrook
Mr. B D Collins
Mr. C H White
Mr. N W G Brown
Mr. C H White
Mr. S Witane
Mr. M Kunaratnam
Mr. V L Wirasingha
Mr. M Kunaratnam
Mr. A C Marker
Mr. S Nagendra
Mr. D J A Abeyesekera
Mr. Suraj Fernando
Mr. Ranjan De Silva
Mr. Mahesh Wijewardene
Mr. Kevin Edwards
Mr. Dinesh De Silva
SUB COMMITTEES
URGENT/STRATEGIC ISSUES
Dinesh De Silva
Nishan Nanayakkara
Kevin Edwards
Delano Dias
SHIPPERS COUNCIL/ SRI LANKA
CUTOMS / EDI
Adrian Oswald
Nishan Nanayakkara
Ajith De Silva
Manjula Devasinghe
Thulitha Mendis
SRI LANKA PORTS AUTHORITY
Nishan Nanayakkara
Adrian Oswald
Manjula Devasinghe
Jayen Costa
SEMINARS
Ajith De Silva
Yasantha Abeykoon
Thulitha Mendis
Jayen Costa
Thanveer Siddique
MARKETING / PUBLICITY / NEW
MEMBERSHIP
Sanjeewa Samaranayake
K. Kunendran
Anura Fernando
Yasantha Abeykoone
Thulitha Mendis
TRADE FINANCE
Anura Fernando
Anuk Wijeratne
Thanveer Siddique
IMPORT TARIFFS / FEE TRADE
AGREEMENT
Kevin Edwards
Delano Dias
Jayen Costa
K kunendran
REPRESENTATION ON OTHER BODIES
THE CEYLON CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
Dinesh De Silva
Nishan Nanayakkara
Annual Report 2015/2016 7 | P a g e
List of Membership
3M LANKA (PVT) LTD
A BAUR & COMPANY (PRIVATE) LIMITED
AB MAURI LANKA (PVT) LTD
ABANS (PVT) LTD
ABDULALLY M
ACME PRINTING & PACKAGING PLC
ADAMEXPO
AGRO TECHNICA LTD
AKBAR BROTHERS LTD
AKZO NOBEL PAINTS LANKA (PVT) LTD.
ASSOCIATED ELECTRICAL CORPORATION LTD
ASSOCIATED MOTORWAYS (PRIVATE) LIMITED
ASTRON LTD
AT & T GLOBAL INFORMATION SOLUTIONS (LANKA) LTD
BAM HOLDINGS LTD
BANK OF CEYLON, CENTRAL OFFICE
BASF LANKA (PVT) LTD
BROWN & CO. PLC
BUILT ELEMENT LIMITED
C.W. MACKIE PLC
CAPITAL MAHARAJA ORGANISATION LIMITED THE
CARGILLS (CEYLON) PLC
CENTRAL FINANCE COMPANY PLC
CEYLON AUTO INDUSTRIES LTD
CEYLON BISCUITS LTD
CEYLON BUSINESS APPLIANCES (PVT) LTD
CEYLON COLD STORES PLC
CEYLON OXYGEN LTD
CEYLON PENCIL CO. (PVT) LTD.
CEYLON TOBACCO COMPANY PLC
CHARTER HOUSE INTERNATIONAL (PVT) LTD
CHEMANEX PLC
CIC HOLDINGS PLC
CITIHEALTH IMPORTS (PVT) LTD
CITY CYCLE STORES
CL SYNERGY (PVT) LTD
COCA-COLA BEVERAGES SRI LANKA LTD
COLONIAL MOTORS LTD
CONSOLE ELECTRONICS (PVT) LTD.
DARLEY BUTLER & CO. LTD
DAVID PIERIS MOTOR CO. LTD.
DEBUG COMPUTER PERIPHERALS (PVT) LTD.
DELMEGE FORSYTH & CO. LTD
DEUTSCHE BANK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
(COLOMBO BRANCH)
DEVI TRADING CO
DIESEL & MOTOR ENGINEERING PLC
DOUGLAS & SONS (PVT) LTD
E B CREASY & CO. LTD
EAST WEST MARKETING (PRIVATE) LTD.
ELASTOMERIC ENGINEERING CO. LTD
ELECTRO-SERV (PVT) LTD
ENERGIZER LANKA LTD
ESWARAN BROTHERS EXPORTS (PVT) LTD
FENTONS LTD
FERRERO LANKA (PVT) LTD
FINLAYS COLOMBO PLC
FONTERRA BRANDS LANKA (PVT) LTD
FREELANKA TRADING CO. LTD
FREIGHT LINKS INTERNATIONAL (PTE) LTD
FROSTAIRE INDUSTRIES (PVT) LTD
GENERAL AUTO WORKS LTD
GEORGE STEUART & CO. LTD
GLAXO WELLCOME CEYLON LTD
GNANAM IMPORTS (PVT) LTD
HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC
HAYLEYS PLC
HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS (PVT) LTD
HEMAS MANUFACTURING (PTE) LTD
HEMAS PHARMACEUTICALS (PTE) LTD
HONGKONG & SHANGHAI BANKING CORP LTD
HUNTER & CO. LTD
IBM WORLD TRADE CORPORATION
INDUSTRIAL ASPHALTS (CEY.) LTD
JAFFERJEE BROTHERS
K.I.K LANKA PVT LTD
LAFARGE MAHAWELI CEMENT (PVT) LTD
LANKA CANNERIES LTD
LANKA CERAMIC PLC
LANKEM CEYLON PLC
LAUGHFS HOLDINGS LIMITED
LAXAPANA BATTERIES PLC
LION BREWERY (CEYLON) PLC
MACKWOODS LTD
Annual Report 2015/2016 8 | P a g e
MALIBAN BISCUIT MANUFACTORIES LTD
MANSEL (CEYLON) (PRIVATE) LIMITED
MASCONS (PRIVATE) LTD
MEDIQUIPMENT LTD
METROPOLITAN OFFICE (PVT) LTD
MICROCELLS (PRIVATE) LTD.
MILLERS LIMITED
MOOSAJEES LTD
MORISON SON & JONES (CEYLON) LTD J L
MULTIFORM CHEMICALS LTD
NAWALOKA CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD
NESTLE LANKA PLC
PAN ASIA LTD
PAPERCOM TRADERS
PERFEITI VAN MELLE LANKA (PRIVATE) LTD
PIRAMAL GLASS CEYLON PLC
PRINTCARE PACKAGING (PVT) LTD
PYRAMID LANKA (PVT) LIMITED
PYRAMID WILMAR (PVT) LTD
RECKITT BENCKISER (LANKA) LTD
RHINO ROOFING PRODUCTS LIMITED
RICHARD PIERIS & CO. LTD
SENOK TRADE COMBINE LTD
SINGER (SRI LANKA) PLC
SINGHAGIRI LTD
SMITHKLINE BEECHAM (PVT) LTD
SOFTLOGIC RETAIL (PVT) LTD
SOUTH SEA IMPEX (PTE) LTD
ST ANTHONY'S INDUSTRIES GROUP (PVT) LTD
STAFFORD MOTOR CO. (PVT) LTD
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK
STASSEN EXPORTS (PVT) LTD
SUNSHINE HEALTHCARE LANKA LTD
THE AUTODROME PLC
THE SWADESHI INDUSTRIAL WORKS PLC
TOKYO CEMENT COMPANY (LANKA) LTD
TOYOTA LANKA (PVT) LTD
UNILEVER SRI LANKA LTD
UNITED MOTORS LANKA PLC
UNITED TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT LTD
WALKER SONS & CO. LTD
WHITTALL BOUSTEAD (PVT) LTD
Annual Report 2015/2016 9 | P a g e
These actions have created an operating environment conducive for the private sector supporting the
growth of the country’s economy. The Import Section has worked with the Government to implement
the Sri Lanka Customs Single Window for border government agencies by identifying the operational
gaps, Sri Lanka Customs and Sri Lanka Ports Authority extended hours of operation, on line payments
projects which have delivered immense benefits to the trade in terms of saving cost and time.
During the year under review, Import Section has actively participated with many Government / Trade
initiatives adding value to its members and to the trade. Import Section was very successful in resolving
many direct trade and member concerns directly relating to their business activities. These actions have
created an operating environment conducive for the private sector supporting the growth of the
country’s economy. The Import Section has worked with the Government to implement the Sri Lanka
Customs Single Window for border government agencies by identifying the operational gaps, Sri Lanka
Customs and Sri Lanka Ports Authority extended hours of operation, on line payments projects which
have delivered immense benefits to the trade in terms of saving cost and time.
Further, The Import Section continue to have direct meetings and follow-up meetings with authorities
resolving the micro environment factors affecting the businesses that have a direct impact on its
business operations and success. Another area that the Import Section continuously lobbied was to
enhance the Ease of Doing Business ranking of Sri Lanka solving sector issues.
Trade also faced a situation where expenditure on imports declined in 2015, largely reflecting the
downward movement of international commodity prices, especially crude oil, and policies introduced
by the government and the Central Bank to rationalize imports. Accordingly, in 2015, the expenditure
on imports declined moderately by 2.5 per cent to US dollars 18,935 million, compared to the US
dollars 19,417 million in 2014. Further, the tax policy uncertainty weighed heavily on the import trade.
CHAIRMAN’S REVIEW
Mr. Dinesh De Silva Chairman – Import Section of CCC
The Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of
Commerce established in 1935 has now served 81
years as the voice of importers in the business
community by promoting, coordinating and supporting
the interests of the trade. This prestigious Association
is the only direct trade section functioning under the
aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, an
Institution with a history of over 176 years.
During the year under review, Import Section has
actively participated with many Government / Trade
initiatives adding value to its members and to the trade.
Import Section was very successful in resolving many
direct trade and member concerns directly relating to
their business activities.
Annual Report 2015/2016 10 | P a g e
Several tax and other regulatory changes announced in the Budget for 2016, particularly VAT and NBT
have affected heavily on importers. Also Importers were severely affected by the devaluation of the
Rupee against USD into unprecedented levels, depreciation on yen and the rising interest rates.
Imports Section also has a serious concern on Grey imports in to the country which creates a loss of
revenue for the country while damaging the legitimate trade. Accordingly the Section was successful in
drawing attention of the relevant authorities in some area with some fruitful results.
Import Sector contributes to the economy in three key areas:
• Imports as a value added to the Sri Lankan economy
• Imports as a revenue earner to the economy
• Imports as a growth facilitator in the economy.
It is important to note that Sri Lanka has a larger import share and therefore the role of importers
continue to be significant and is vital for the economy to sustain. Imports into a country support jobs in
that country. It creates a range of activities to bring imports from an origin port to home, such as port
offloading, transportation, wholesale, and retail. The value added to imports from the time of entry into
the country to the time of the final purchase by consumers can be used to estimate how many jobs are
being supported by imports. Accordingly, administration should adopt policies to reflect the fact that
both exports and imports are job-supporting activities and both are equally beneficial to an economy.
Therefore Import trade are watchful on the Government’s direction, as importers still form a major part
of Sri Lanka’s economy in many ways. The Section will be always hopeful that government will engage
in a wider consultation process with the sectors and to be more consistent on trade and tariff policies
enabling business sector to invest on sustainable business ventures. It is important to have consistent
and predictable policies enabling private sector to move forward and position the country as a Maritime
hub while moving up in the Ease of Doing Business Ranking.
However, the sector have many more unresolved issues to continuously work on and we look forward to
work with all the relevant authorities and stakeholders closely to resolve them successfully. We assure
our fullest co-operation for any positive change implemented by the policy makers. At the same time,
we have experienced situations of having ad-hoc implementation of duties/taxes which have heavy
impacts on businesses which is not giving confidence for businesses to make long term decisions
without much hesitation
Finally I wish to convey my sincere appreciation to the Executive Committee of the Import section for
their tireless efforts towards the council matters and also to the Secretariat for their valuable
contribution and for the Secretary General of CCC and to its all staff for all the support extended during
the last year.
Dinesh de Silva
Chairman
Annual Report 2015/2016 11 | P a g e
80th AGM of the Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
The Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce held its 80th Annual General Meeting on 17th
July 2015 at the Union Ballroom, Hilton Colombo Residences. Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of
Finance was the the Chief Guest and the key note speaker at the AGM and Dr. Lakdas Panagoda,
Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority was the Guest of Honour.
Dinesh De Silva was re-elected as the Chairman and Mr. Nishan Nanayakkara was re-elected as the
Vice Chairman of the Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking at the Event, the newly elected Chairman thanked all the committee members for placing
confidence in him to lead a prestigious position as the Chairman of the Import Section of the Ceylon
Chamber of Commerce. He further assured that Imports Section will serve as a platform to support its
member companies by providing a forum for topical issues, ensuring a level playing field for all its
members. He further added that the Import Section will be tirelessly working with the relevant
authorities to ensure the basics are right and they are always in place. “Needless to say, Import trade has
a direct bearing on government’s policy changes especially imports restrictions / duty and tariff
revisions / bi-lateral and multi-lateral FTA and so on.”
Chief Guest, Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance
Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Chairman Import Section of CCC Guest of Honour, Mr. Lakdas Panagoda,
Chairman- Sri Lanka Ports Authority
REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES - 2015/2016
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Head Table: from left to right Ms. Manori Dissanayaka - Secretray-Import Section of the CCC, Mr. Mangala P.B.
Yapa -Secretray General/CEO, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Hon. Ravi Karunanayaka - Minister of Finance,
M. Dinesh De Silva, Chairman – Import Section of CCC, Mr. Lakdas Panagoda - Chairman Sri Lanka Ports
Authority, Mr. Kevin Edwards- Immediate Past Chairman Import Section of CCC, Mr. Nishan Nanayakkara - Vice
Chairman, Import Section of CCC
Participants
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SUGGESTIONS TO THE NATIONAL BUDGET 2015
The Import Section consolidating members’ proposals, prepared submissions to the National Budget
Proposal 2015.
The following were the key areas identified and recommended in its budget proposals to the Ministry of
Finance and planning;
1. Implementation of a further simplified consistent Duty / tax system for imports – One band duty
with different rates
2. Request Concession/Reduction on Import Duty & Other Levies
3. Encourage investment in value added agri based FMCG.
4. Tariff structures in Sri Lanka to be in line with regional structures as high tariffs create gray
market activities by under-valuation, entry of poor quality goods and finally loss of government
revenue through such activities.
5. Re-visit the product and H.S. Classification systems on a periodic basis to revise the applicable
classifications / duty & tariffs depending on the latest market behaviors of products including
valuation.
6. Implementation of a fully Automated & Single Window concept
7. Full implementation of the electronic documentation mechanism for imports and exports, so that
individual intervention and discretion of officials is minimized.
During the year under review, the following key issues were discussed and
addressed with the Government Officials and other relevant organizations;
a) Port Entry Permit Charges
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) implemented a significant increase in its daily,
monthly and annual entry permit fees, effective from 1/1/2016. This irrational increase of
Annual Port Permit Charges, to the extent up to about 3-4000% in certain instances
The significant increase of entry rates have been attributed to the fact that the Port entry
permit rates have not been revised for the past twenty five years.
The Import Section together with 10 Product associations and the Chamber had taken up this
issue with Hon. Minister of Ports and Shipping to address this key burning issue.
Two meetings had been convened to date with the Hon. Minister of Ports & Shipping and at
the request of the concerned Stakeholders, a working committee was appointed by the Sri
Lanka Ports Authority. The recommendations of the trade in respect of a realistic increase in
Port Entry Permit Charges was also presented to this Committee.
The Secretary, Ministry of Ports and Shipping had addressed a letter to the Chairman, SLPA
requesting a report, based on the recommendations submitted by the Chamber on behalf of
Annual Report 2015/2016 14 | P a g e
the Stakeholders. Once a response is received, the Committee will be updated on the
progress accordingly.
b) Maximum Retain Price (MRP)
Ministry of Finance imposed Maximum Retail Price to essential food commodities.
The difficulties and the possible solutions were discussed at length with the concerned
parties.
Import Section together with Essential Food Commodities Importers and Traders
Association urged the Government to remove the MRP placed on imported essential food
commodities to ensure the product is freely available to the consumers and avoid a possible
shortage which could lead to exploitation by the retailers which will be exploited by the
consumer retail outlets.
c) Issues in Importation of Meat and Poultry products to Sri Lanka
The industry has been importing meat products based on a licence issued by the Department
of Animal Production and Health (DAPH) in the past. Such imported products; in this
instance Chicken MDM (Mechanically De-boned Meat) is primarily being used as raw
material for production of processed meats, most of which are meant for exports.
The DAPH licence issued has specified microbiological testing in accordance with SLS
5169-2013 which is equivalent to ISO 6572:2001 Standard.
Pre-shipment Certifications have been obtained from Suppliers, in conformance with the
above specifications and shipments (approx. 5-FCLs) have arrived at the Colombo Port, few
months ago.
Samples were drawn and sent for testing by DAPH to the Medical Research Institute, the
Authorised Testing Laboratory in terms of the Food Act. Results of samples from recent
shipments that were tested at MRI were indicated positive for presence of salmonella while
samples drawn at the same time and tested at ITI and SGS were found to be negative.
The testing at MRI was done in conformance to “Modified MRI Standard of SLS
516:5:1992”, which is a deviation from the standard specified in the licence; i.e. SLS
516-9-2013. The testing at ITI and SGS were done in conformance to SLS 516-9-2013.
The FCLs are still at the Port, as they were not permitted to be released. The importers
are spending a large sum of money every day, to maintain the condition of cargo and
resulting loss of revenue and incurring charges.
The importers request for re-testing has also been denied.
The importers are also willing to return the cargo to the Suppliers, if there is a formal
report, rejecting the acceptance of cargo for clearance, as they do not conform to the
conditions under which the import licence was issued. That too is not provided as the
testing at MRI was done deviating from the specified standard.
The industry is very concerned that the current situation may have adverse impact on
importation of any meat product which could also affect the Exports of Processed Meats.
Annual Report 2015/2016 15 | P a g e
The following measures were suggested to the relevant authorities;
Testing:
Secretray to the Ministry of Health to take necessary steps to have an additional Analyst for
testing purposes since the results of laboratory test reports may be subject to challenge and in
such circumstances, it would be advantageous to have a basis for comparison to assist in
decision making. The relevant officer in charge of the Microbiological laboratory of the
Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) and SGS Lanka be recognized as Additional Analysts under
Section 17(2) of the Food Act, for procedures in respect of which they possess the requisite
competence.
Time frame for testing to be in line with time limits specified under insurance cover - Test
results to be issued within the time frame to claim insurance if there are any issues.
To amend the Food Act to allow any accredited lab to carry out testing
Destroying the consignments: Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH) to advise
destroying to be carried out under supervision of CAQO (Chief Animal Quarantine Officer), in
the event of rejection of consignments.
In addition, DAPH to consider such consignments to be used for manufacture of Aqua culture.
Recovery of Import Duties Paid: Under normal conditions, only 90% of the import duty can be
claimed after re-exporting the consignments. In this special instance (as importers have not
flouted any import conditions) an exemption is needed to recover the full amount.
Sri Lanka Customs
Sri Lanka Customs’ single window implementation for Border Regulatory
Authorities – January 2016
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Finance Honorable Ravi Karunanayake launched the "Single Window
System" on Monday 04th January 2016 enabling Sri Lanka to be in line with the international trade
regulations of the World Trade Organisation and the World Customs Organization. The move, the
Industry believes will help increase the efficiency of the Customs related activities.
The Import Section had taken a lead role in fully supporting the drive of Single Window system
implementation initiated by MOF / Department of Customs, which was launched by the Hon. Minister
of Finance on 4th January 2016. However, Importers/Exporters that had used this facility were of the
view, that it was operationally not 100% in place, due to many loose ends.
The Import Section had taken a lead role together with the Ministry of Finance in engaging with the
supporting agencies to understand the identified gaps/loop holes and provide practical solutions from a
private sector perspective, which was beneficial to trade. Meetings had been convened to date, with
Annual Report 2015/2016 16 | P a g e
officials from Imports/Export Control, Sri Lanka Standards Institute, Plant and Animal quarantine etc.
accordingly and the Import Section would continue to engage with officials of the supporting agencies.
The Import Section was mapping out floor charts and identifying and recommending to the Ministry of
Finance, infrastructure gaps, which require remedial action, facilitating trade to benefit from this
initiative, which was of paramount importance to move forward under the Ease of Doing Business
initiative.
OPEN DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SRI LANKA CUSTOMS
A meeting with Sri Lanka Customs to discuss and solve operational difficulties was held on 07th April
2016. The meeting was chaired by Director General of Sri Lanka Customs.
At this meeting Import Section of CCC further highlighted operational difficulties reported by the trade.
Issues were mainly discussed in the areas of Improvement of Customs 24 x 7 service, Improvement to
Ease of Doing Business ranking, Asycuda World System improvements and online payments.
Representatives from Association of Clearing & Forwarding Agents, Ceylon association of Ship
Agents, SL Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association, Essential Food Commodities Importers and
Traders Association also joined the discussion.
SRI LANKA PORTS AUTHORITY
Representatives of the Import Section Committee paid a courtesy call to the newly appointed Chairman
Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Mr. Dammika Ranatunga. During the course of the last 6 months, Import
Section has had very productive discussions with the Chairman and other senior officials to discuss
various issues pertaining to the industry.
Import Section participated for a Presentation of an 'integrated Port-Logistics e-Platform' organized by
SLPA which showcase's an electronic 'single window' in port management on 10th May 2016. Sri Lanka
Ports Authority is looking for a new system offered by a Singaporean company to connect with SLPA
operation. This was a great opportunity to explore single window concept, B2G (Business to
Government), B2B (Business to Business) port community e-platform for intelligent management of
port systems for improved productivity and efficiency.
Import Section strongly lobbied importer’s constrains at the “Ease of Doing
Businesses” forum to address procedural and regulatory issues when doing
business, Chaired by Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance
ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AGAINST PARALLEL GREY IMPORTS
Import section has strongly taken up the matter with relevant authorities and have witnessed
positive results and will continuously work towards eliminating such activities.
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IMO MANDATORY WEIGHING OF CONTAINERS BY SHIPPERS,
FORWARDERS AND CONSOLIDATORS
The IMO’s (International Maritime Organization) Maritime Safety Committee Meeting (MSC 94),
following discussions at previous IMO sub-committee meetings in November 2014, has recently
adopted changes to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention Chapter VI Regulation 2.
Following this regulation which comes in to effect, 1st July 2016, shippers will be compelled to comply
with mandatory weight certifications done at the origin and it would be a violation of SOLAS, if a
shipper does not have a verified container weight. In the event that the verified weight has not been
provided to the ship’s Master and his representative or the terminal representative, the container will not
be loaded on to the ship.
The Director Merchant Shipping, consequent to consultations with Stakeholders, has issued a
mechanism document outlining the manner in which shippers should comply with this new regulation,
which at present is being studied by the trade.
Shippers, Freight Forwarders, Vessel Operators and Terminal Operators will be required to establish
systematic procedures to ensure requisite implementation of this regulation.
The Import Section was of the view that this should not be an additional cost added to exporters.
IMPORT SECTION – REPRESENTATIONS
The Import Section continues to maintain its close association with the Government and Private sector
organizations and also with the Trade Associations with a view to have a continued improvement on the
required service levels.
Some highlighted direct representations made during the year are as follows;
Representations at the Leadership of the Approved Associations meetings of the Ceylon
Chamber of Commerce
Representations at the Steering Committee on Ports, Shipping, Aviation & Logistics of
Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
Meeting with Stakeholders of the Shipping Industry, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
WTO Trade Facilitation Committee, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
National Trade Facilitation Committee, Chaired by Director General of Sri Lanka Customs
Advisory Committee Meeting - Trade Facilitation and Trade Information, Sri Lanka Export
Development Board
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Steering Committee on Enactment of the New Customs Act – Department of Trade &
Investment Policy, Ministry of Finance
AWARENESS BUILDING ACTIVITIES
Dissemination of Information
The membership was alerted on various issues affecting importers, as well as matters of interest, by way
of Circulars issued by Import Section as well as the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and various other
affiliated bodies of the relevant local Chambers. This included information on matters of business
interest to members, important Government Circulars, notices of topical seminars/workshops organized
by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and affiliated Associations/Councils.
During the year under review, there were several productive seminars conducted by the Import section
to enhance the knowledge on trade related matters. The topics and a brief description of the seminars
conducted are as follows;
Awareness Seminar on Sri Lanka Custom's "Single Window Implementation" For
Border Regulatory Authorities 13th January 2016
Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce together with Sri Lanka Customs organised a
forum on the 13th January, 2016 to create industry level awareness about the newly launched ‘SL
Custom’s Single Window System’.
Over 400 participated at this forum and all those who attended were made aware of the operational
benefits and the processors involving the new operating system.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Chulananda Perera, Director General of Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) said
“Customs is expected to collect Rs. 1 trillion as tax revenue for 2016, The Customs will take proactive
measures to reach this target. Perera however noted that the SLC’s approach to realizing this target will
not be in an ad-hoc manner.
Commenting on operational benefits and the processes of the recently implemented single window
system, Perera said the new system will help increase the efficiency of customs’ related activities and
will be beneficial to both traders and the Sri Lanka Customs.
The system will also help ensure the smooth flow of information between the governments, traders and
to help the government ensure efficient deployment of resources and correct revenue yield.
Under the program all public and private sector institutions involved in the import export sector will be
allowed to lodge information with a single body to fulfill all import or export related regulatory
requirements.
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Head Table
Mr. Chulananda Perera, Director General of Customs Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Chairman Import Section CCC
Participants
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At the request made by the SL Customs a meeting with visiting delegation from Customs Uni-Pass
International Agency (CUPIA) of South Korean Customs was organised by Import Section with the
relevant stakeholders. They were in Sri Lanka to study the Customs clearance process of Sri Lanka
as a part of their Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) project.
Chairman had a discussion with the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation regarding the main trade
facilitation challenges to the Sri Lankan private sector in the context of the Trade Facilitation
Agreement/and in general and what kind of assistance we need to improve the current situation.
Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation is a multi-donor, multi-year effort that partners with the
private sector to assist with the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade
Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
LAUNCHING IMPORT SECTION WEBSITE
www.importsection.lk
The Import Section of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce launched its website at the 80th Annual
General Meeting held on the 17th of July 2015.
80TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF THE IMPORT SECTION
The Import Section commemorated its 80th Anniversary on 17th July 2015 at its 80th Annual General
Meeting held at the Union Ball Room, Hilton Colombo Residences. In order to commemorate this
landmark event, the Import Section organised a gala Dinner for its members which was followed by
cocktails on the 24th November 2015 at the Kingsbury.
Founder committee members, past chairpersons and key import related Government organizations who
have rendered exemplary service to the Import trade were honoured, felicitated and recognized at the
event.
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Hon. Arjuna Ranatunga was the Chief Guest at the Event. The Key note address was delivered by Dr.
Saman Kelegama, Executive Director of Institute of Policy Studies. Over 400 members and
distinguished invites took part in the event.
In addition, a commemorative souvenir was published and a copy of which was handed over to the
participants at the event.
We had a very successful evening of fellowship, which commenced with a toast being proposed and the
presentation of the awards referred to earlier. This was tastefully interwoven with dance acts by Channa
Upuli Dance Academy and Orchestral Music by the Navy band.
A token of appreciation in recognition of exceptional leadership & dedicated service rendered to the
Import Section, presented to Mr. Sega Nagendra, Mr. Anton Abeyesekera, Mr. Suraj Fernando,
Mr. Ranjan De Silva, Mr. Mahesh Wijewardene and Mr. Kevin Edwards Past Chairpersons of the
Import Section.
In appreciation of the valuable contribution made towards the improvement & development of the
import trade, service recognition awards were presented to Exchange Control Department, Import &
Export Control Department, Department of Commerce, Sri Lanka Customs, Board Of Investment Of Sri
Lanka, Sri Lankan Airlines- Cargo Operations, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Sri Lanka Standards
Institution, Director General’s Office Of Merchant Shipping, Food Control Administration Unit,
(Ministry Of Health). These awards were accepted by the heads of the institutions/ nominees.
Eight Special Recognition awards were presented to E B Creasy & Co. Ltd, Brown & Company Plc,
Mackwoods Ltd, Nestlé Lanka Plc, (Formerly Nestle & Anglo Swiss Condensed Milk Co.), Darley
Butler & Co. Limited, Delmege Forsyth & Co. Ltd, Finlays Colombo Plc(Formerly James Finlay &
Co. (Colombo) Ltd) and Hunter & Company Plc being founder Committee members of the Import
Section.
The Import Section of the CCC received a good coverage of the above events in the video and print
media enhancing its public relation image as a responsible association engaged in assisting the trade
with their issues in line with the principles of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. This was an excellent
opportunity of appraising the public of its Vision and Mission statements, the objectives, scope of work
carried out, and more importantly, its 80 year history.
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Accounts
KPMG Ford Rhodes, Thornton & Co continued to audit the Accounts of the Import Section during the
period under review. The Audited Statement of Accounts on the Section for the period 01 April 2015 to
31 March 2016 is annexed to the report.
By order of the Committee
Manori Dissanayaka
For Secretary
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Import Performance
Import Performance Expenditure on imports declined in 2015, largely reflecting the downward
movement of international commodity prices, especially crude oil, and policies introduced by the
government and the Central Bank to rationalise imports. Accordingly, in 2015, the expenditure on
imports declined moderately by 2.5 per cent to US dollars 18,935 million, compared to the US dollars
19,417 million in 2014. Meanwhile, expenditure on non-fuel imports increased considerably by 9.6 per
cent to US dollars 16,235 million, indicating the impact of the decline in global oil prices. The
expenditure on non-fuel imports increased mainly due to the significant increase recorded in the
importation of personal motor vehicles, with the reduction of import tariff for selected motor vehicles,
as well as the depreciation of the Japanese yen.
Expenditure on intermediate goods imports declined significantly by 15.4 per cent to US dollars 9,638
million in 2015, compared to US dollars 11,398 million in 2014, reflecting the substantial decline in
expenditure on fuel imports. The fuel import bill in 2015 declined by US dollars 1,898 million to US
dollars 2,700 million, recording a 41.3 per cent decline over the previous year, due to the drop in both
import prices and volumes. In line with the substantial reduction in international oil prices, the average
import price of crude oil declined by 47.6 per cent to US dollars 54.80 per barrel in 2015, from US
dollars 104.53 per barrel recorded in 2014. Meanwhile, the volume of crude oil and refined petroleum
products imports declined by 2.0 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively, in 2015, due to the shutting
down of the refinery for maintenance purposes during March and April 2015 and the substantial
reduction in thermal power generation. Accordingly, fuel imports as a share of total imports declined to
14.3 per cent in 2015, when compared to 23.7 per cent recorded in the previous year. Meanwhile, the
import volume of coal increased by 17.1 per cent, leading to a marginal increase of expenditure on coal
imports to US dollars 159 million in 2015, mainly due to the increase recorded in coal power
generation. In line with the reduction recorded in garments exports, import expenditure on textiles and
textile articles also showed a decline by 1.3 per cent to US dollars 2,296 million, compared to US
dollars 2,328 million in 2014. However, rubber and articles made of rubber, chemical products, vehicle
and machinery parts, fertiliser, and unmanufactured tobacco, classified under intermediate goods,
contributed positively towards increased import expenditure in 2015.
Despite the marginal reduction recorded in the expenditure on food and beverages, import expenditure
on consumer goods increased considerably due to the significant increase in the importation of
consumer durables. In 2015, expenditure on consumer goods increased significantly by 22.3 per cent to
US dollars 4,713 million, mainly due to the 39.1 per cent growth to US dollars 3,086 million recorded in
the expenditure on consumer durables, led by higher expenditure on importing personal motor vehicles.
Expenditure on the importation of motor cars increased significantly by 47.6 per cent, contributing
towards increasing the vehicle import expenditure by 51.6 per cent to US dollars 1,360 million in 2015,
from US dollars 897 million in 2014. The continuation of the concessionary motor vehicle permits for
government employees, reduction of taxes on the importation of motor vehicles, especially less than
1000 CC engine capacity and the depreciation of the Japanese Yen, caused the increase in consumer
durable imports, especially motor vehicles. The significant domestic demand for imported goods was
reflected in the increase in since April 2014, started to decline from May 2015, due to the increase in the
import tariff, consequent to the ample supply of rice in the local market due to the bumper paddy
harvest recorded in both the Yala and Maha seasons in 2015. Further, import expenditure on dairy
products declined by 26.1 per cent in 2015, mainly due to the decline recorded in the expenditure on
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milk powder imports, owing to the significant reduction in the average imported price of milk powder,
despite the large increase in the import volume.
Import expenditure on investment goods increased by 10.0 per cent to US dollars 4,567 million in 2015,
reflecting increases in all sub categories. However, the largest contribution for this increase came from
transport equipment, followed by machinery and equipment. Import expenditure on transport equipment
increased significantly by 31.6 per cent to US dollars 931 million in 2015, mainly due to higher imports
of road vehicles, particularly, auto trishaws, lorries, commercial cabs and agricultural tractors. Import
expenditure on machinery and equipment, which mainly comprise engineering equipment, electronic
equipment, telecommunication devices and office machinery, increased by 6.9 per cent to US dollars
2,278 million in 2015. Expenditure on the import of building materials, which mainly comprise cement,
iron and steel, aluminium articles and mineral products, increased by 3.3 per cent in 2015 to US dollars
1,352 million, led by the 19.4 per cent growth recorded in the expenditure on articles of iron and steel
over the previous year.
Trade Balance
The deficit in the trade balance, which began to expand from the third quarter of 2014, moderated its
growth momentum during mid-2015 and recorded a marginal expansion. The lower reduction of
expenditure on imports, relative to the higher decline in exports, contributed to the expansion in the
trade deficit in 2015. Accordingly, the trade deficit expanded marginally by 1.7 per cent to US dollars
8,430 million in 2015, from the US dollars 8,287 million recorded in 2014. However, as a per cent of
GDP, the deficit in the trade balance decreased to 10.2 per cent in 2015, from 10.4 per cent in 2014.
Terms of Trade
Significantly large decline recorded in import prices led by petroleum, in comparison to the reduction in
export prices, led the terms of trade to improve by 2.3 per cent in 2015. Accordingly, the terms of trade
index increased to 99.9 index points in 2015 from 97.6 index points recorded in 2014 reflecting 11.8 per
cent decline in the import price index compared to 9.8 per cent decline in the export price index.
Export prices dropped in 2015 reflecting the decline in prices of all major categories. The export price
index, pertaining to agricultural exports, declined by 4.1 per cent in 2015, along with the decline in the
export prices of tea, rubber and seafood. The export price index of tea declined considerably by 11.2 per
cent in 2015, mainly due to the lower demand for Ceylon tea from Russia and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the average export price index of rubber and seafood declined by 11.3 per cent and 5.1 per
cent, respectively. The export price index pertaining to industrial products also declined by 10.9 per cent
in 2015, mainly due to the 50.9 per cent drop recorded in the export price index of petroleum products.
However, the export price indices of transport equipment, ceramic products and leather, travel goods
and footwear, categorised under industrial exports, and coconut kernel products, minor agricultural
products and spices, categorised under agricultural exports, increased during the year.
The import price index declined significantly in 2015, led by the significant decline in fuel prices. The
import price index, pertaining to intermediate goods, declined considerably by 19.2 per cent in 2015,
mainly due to the 40.7 per cent decline of the average import price index of fuel, reflecting the lower
global oil prices that prevailed during the year. Accordingly, the average import price index of fuel
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declined to 76.2 index points in 2015, compared to the 128.4 index points in the previous year. The
import price indices of all categories in the intermediate goods, except diamonds, precious stones and
metals import price index, declined in 2015. Reflecting the price decline in machinery and equipment,
building materials and transport equipment, the import price index of investment goods declined by 3.2
per cent in 2015. In line with the decline in prices of raw materials in the international market, the
import price index of building materials declined by 5.8 per cent. Further, the significant depreciation of
the Japanese yen against the US dollar, contributed to the decline in the price index of transport
equipment. Meanwhile, the import price index of food and beverages, and consumer durables declined
by 2.2 per cent and 3.2 per cent, respectively, leading to a 1.4 per cent decline in the import price index
for consumer goods.
Direction of Trade
The Western countries continued to be the main destination for Sri Lankan exports in 2015, while the
Asian countries dominated Sri Lanka’s imports. The USA and the UK remained the largest export
destination countries, while India, followed by China and Japan, as the foremost import-originating
countries. India, China and the USA continued to be the leading trade partners of Sri Lanka recording
more than US dollars 3 billion trade with each county in 2015. In addition, the UK, Japan, UAE and
Singapore were the other trading partners with Sri Lanka that had trade amounting to more than US
dollars 1 billion each in 2015. Total trade with India, China, Japan and the USA increased in 2015,
compared to the previous year, while trade with Russia and some countries in the Middle East and the
EU declined.
The USA remained as a key buyer from Sri Lanka and the share of total exports to the USA increased to
around 27 per cent in 2015, compared to 25 per cent in the previous year. In 2015, total exports to the
USA increased by 2.9 per cent to US dollars 2,810 million, while garment exports to the USA which
amounted to 46.3 per cent of total garment exports, increased by 6.0 per cent to US dollars 2,110
million, surpassing the EU after 2007. Despite the significant decline recorded in seafood exports to the
EU market, the UK continued to be the second largest export destination in 2015, accounting for 9.8 per
cent of total exports. Garments and rubber products were the main export items which accounted for
79.2 per cent and 2.9 per cent, respectively, of total export to UK in 2015. Total exports to the UK
declined by 7.8 per cent to US dollars 1,029 million in 2015, mainly due to the decline recorded in
garment exports followed by rubber product and seafood exports. In 2015, total exports to India which
comprise 6.1 per cent of total exports, increased by 3.0 per cent, to US dollars 643 million, compared to
US dollars 625 million in 2014, largely driven by exports of spices, transport equipment and animal
fodder. As the third largest exporter of Sri Lanka, India was the main buyer of spices, minor agricultural
products and animal fodder, while the second largest buyer of transport equipment exported from Sri
Lanka in 2015. China became a major buyer during the year, raising its position up to the sixth largest
export destination from the thirteenth position in the previous year, owing to the significant growth
recorded in transport equipment, garments and tea exports.
India continued to be the largest source of imports with a share of 23 per cent in total imports in 2015.
Although total expenditure on imports declined by 2.5 per cent in 2015, imports from India increased by
6.1 per cent to US dollars 4,268 million, mainly driven by the significant increase in the importation of
motor vehicles for personal use and investment purposes, due to the reduction of import taxes on motor
vehicles, especially for less than 1,000 CC small vehicles by the interim budget presented in January
2015. Accordingly, the importation of cars, motor cycles and trishaws from India increased by 565.6 per
Annual Report 2015/2016 29 | P a g e
cent, 15.5 per cent and 56.3 per cent, respectively, in 2015. However, petroleum product imports which
comprise the largest portion of import expenditure from India, declined significantly by 20.3 per cent in
2015, due the impact of lower oil prices. Meanwhile, imports from China, which account for around 20
per cent of imports, increased by 6.3 per cent to US dollars 3,712 million in 2015, led by the imports of
base metal, machinery and equipment, building materials, fertiliser, seafood and textiles and textile
articles. Imports from Japan increased significantly by 47.6 per cent to US dollars 1,389 million in
2015, mainly due to the large increase recorded in vehicle imports for personal use and investment
purposes, the significant depreciation of the Japanese yen and the changes in import tariff structures in
Sri Lanka. Japan, the fifth largest importer since 2012, raised its position up to third largest importer of
Sri Lanka in 2015, surpassing the UAE and Singapore.
(Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka Annual Report 2015)
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IMPORT SECTION OF THE CEYLON CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
Financial Statements
For the year ended 31st March 2016
Annual Report 2015/2016 31 | P a g e
EST. 1935
No. 50, Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 02 Tel: +94 11 5588880, 5588871 Fax: +94 11 2449352
Minutes of the 80th Annual General Meeting of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Import
Section held on 17th July 2015 at ‘Union Ballroom’– Hilton Colombo Residences
Present
COMPANY NAME
A
3M Lanka (PVT) LTD Sujeewa Senadheera
Acme Printing & Packaging Lasith Lokubalasuriya
Abans Limited K. Kunendran
A Baur & Co (Pvt) Ltd Chandima Athukorala
Akbar Brothers Udesh Witharana
Autodrome Plc Rajeev Aloysius
B
Built Elements Limited N. Tharshanan
H P S Jayalal
C
Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt) Ltd Indrajith Binduhewa
Ceylon Biscuits Limited Nishan Nanayakkara
Jude Rubera
Cargills Ceylon Ltd Delano Dias
Jerald Suvendra
Citihealth Imports (Pvt) Limited Asoka Senanayake
D
David Peiris Motor Company Yasantha Abeykoone
Douglas & Sons Anura Fernando
Ramal Samarasinghe
E
Eswaran Brothers Exports (Pvt) Ltd S. Deivanayagam
F
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Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Ajith De Silva
Damith Silva
Sanath Mahawithanage
Chamari Fernando
Erandi Uthpala
Finlays Colombo Plc Renil Perera
Freight Links International (Pte) Ltd Anuradha Dharmasiri
Janaka Sumithrarachchi
G
Gnanam Imports G. Rajendren
H
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics (Pvt) Ltd Lalith Hennayake
Vasantha Dias
Harrisons Shipping R. Udayakumar
Hemas Pharmaceutical Sanjeewa Samaranayake
Tilak Fernando
Sankha Gammapila
Hayleys Plc Anuk Wijeratne
Asanga Walpola
K
KIK Engineering Company Oswald Hakel
M
Metropolitan Office (Pvt) Ltd Ivor Maharoof
Saman Samarasinghe
Maliban Biscuits Palitha Pullaperuma
MAC Supply Chain Solutions Stanley Samarakoone
N
NYK Line Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Vishvanath Daluwatte
Sagara Peiris
Nestle Lanka Plc Chathura Dissanayake
Lakshika Weeramundage
Jayen Costa
Kasun Rathnayake
Shalinda De Silva
Jasintha Senaratne
P
Pyramid Wilmar (Pvt) Ltd Thanveer Siddique
Dhammika Karnasena
Sudesh Gomas
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Suren Karunarathne
R
Richard Peiris & Company Adrian Oswald
S
Singer Sri Lanka Plc Thulitha Mendis
Anuradha Edirisinghe
Srinath Mendis
Sunshin Healthcare Lanka Limited S. Niranjan
N. Siva Shankar
Smithkline Beecham Manjula Devasinghe
Shanaka Mahendran
Damith Mapa
Mihindu Ekanayake
U
Unilever Sri Lanka Limited Dinesh de Silva
Invitees
Hon. Ravi Karunanayake Minister of Finance
Dr. Lakdas Panagoda Chairman, Sri Lanka Ports Authority
Mr. W A Atapattu Sri Lanka Ports Authority
Mr. Upul Jayatissa Sri Lanka Ports Authority
Mr. Mangala Yapa The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
Ms. Alikie Perera The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Dushmantha Karannagoda SLFFA
Mr. Diren Hallock SLFFA Cargo Services
Mr. Craig Bogalawatte Sri Lanka Customs – Export Facilitation Centre
Mr. Rezvan Rasheed CEYFFA
Mr. Maxwell De Silva CEYFFA
Mr. Mahesh Wijewardene Past Chairman - Import Section
Mr. Kevin Edwards Past Chairman - Import Section
Mr. Duncan Sri Lanka Customs – Export Facilitation Centre
Mr. Ted Muttiah SAGT
Mr. Upul Jinadasa SAGT
Ms. Catriona Jayasundara SAGT
Mr. P.M.Abeyesekera Chairman, Essential Food Commodities
Mr. Dushyantha Dassanayake Sampath Bank
Mr. Kalyani Boteju Board of Investments
Mr. Mahinda Ramanayake Board of Investments
Dr. Neville Goonewardena Consultant to Sri Lanka Customs
Dr. T B Jayalal Ministry of Health
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Chairman Mr. Dinesh de Silva called the meeting to order and request the Secretary Ms. Manori
Dissanayake to read out the notice convening the Meeting.
Confirmation of Minutes of the 79th AGM held on 18th July 2014
Proposed by: Mr. K Kunendran from Abans PLC
Seconded by: Mr. Adrian Oswald from Richard Peiris Company (Pvt) Ltd.
Adoption of Annual Report & Accounts 01 April 2014 – 31 March 2015
Proposed by: Mr. Jerald Suvendra from Cargills Ceylon PLC
Seconded by: Mr. Thulitha Mendis from Singer Sri Lanka Limited
APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN PROTEM
Chairman appointed Mr. Kevin Edwards Immediate Past Chairman to occupy the seat as the Protem
Chairman.
RE-ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN
Mr. Kevin Edwards announced the re-election of the Chairman – Mr. Dinesh de Silva for the ensuing year
2015/2016. Mr. Dinesh de Silva occupied the seat as the Chairman for the year 2015/2016.
ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS FOR THE YEAR 2015/2016
Chairman proposed the name of Mr. Nishan Nanayakkara of Ceylon Biscuits Limited as the Vice
Chairman for the year 2015/2016.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR 2015/2016
The Secretary announced the new Committee for 2015/2016
The following member organizations have been elected to serve on the Committee of the Import Section under
Rule six of the Constitution for the period 2015/2016.
NOMINATED BY THE OUTGOING COMMITTEE
1. Abans Ltd.
2. Ceylon Biscuits Ltd.
3. David Peiris Motor Company
4. EB Creasy & Co Plc
5. Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd
6. Hemas Pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd
7. Richard Peiris Co. Ltd.
8. Unilever Ceylon Limited
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ELECTED BY THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP BY VOTING CARDS:
9. Cargills Ceylon Ltd
10. Douglas & Sons (Pvt) Ltd
11. Hayleys Plc
12. Nestle Lanka PLC
13. Pyramid Wilmar (Pvt) Ltd
14. Singer Sri Lanka Ltd
15. Smithkline Beecham
AUDITORS
The Chairman, from the chair, proposed that KPMG Ford Rhodes Thornton & Co be re-appointed
as Auditors for the year 2015/2016.
ADDRESS BY OUTGOING CHAIRMAN – Mr. Dinesh de Silva
Quote
“Our Chief Guest today Hon. Minister Ravi Karunanayake – Minister of Finance Our Guest of Honor
Dr Lakdas Panagoda – Chairman – SLPA, Ministry officials, Officials from Customs & SLPA, Invitees
from other government authorities , Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General – Ceylon Chamber
of Commerce, Past Presidents, Distinguished Invitees, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the 80th Annual General meeting of the Import
section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. This is a significant year to the Import Section, as we are
reaching a milestone in our journey of completing 80 years on the 22nd November, 2015.
Accordingly it is with great pleasure I declare that the Import Section’s 80th year Anniversary is open
from now onwards and the Import Section has lined up a series of special events to commemorate this
landmark occasion.
The main Celebrations will be held on November 24th 2015 at 7.00 p.m. at the Balmoral Ballroom of
the Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo.
On behalf of the Import Section, we invite all members’ to participate at this occasion and the
Secretariat will circulate further details in due course.
Ladies and gentlemen, during our 80 year old journey, our predecessors have contributed immensely to
solve industry matters which had given so much comfort for the importers to carry out their business
today with great ease. But due the behaviors of the global and local economies, we cannot be
complacent with what we have achieved so far. It is clear that our present challenges are different to
what we faced years ago.
Sri Lankan economy grew at 7.4% last year and this year 1st quarter the economic growth is 6.4 % and
the forecast is to grow more than 7% this year. No doubt we must grow year on year. Sri Lanka’s 2015
ease of doing business rank is 99 out of 189 countries whilst we were in 105 in 2014. This indicates an
Annual Report 2015/2016 36 | P a g e
improvement of 6 places. Our Logistics Performance Index rank is 89 in 2014 and hope in 2015 that too
will improve.
Looking at these rankings it is very clear the opportunities and also the challenges ahead of us.
Honorable Minister, we at the private sector is very keen to grow and as the Import section on behalf of
the trade, have tremendously supported the authorities all along to simplify procedures and remove all
non-value adding trade barriers. With your interim budget proposals, your initiative of allowing
Customs and SLPA 24 x 7 has been a revolutionary change and I strongly believe that our trade greatly
appreciate it.
Sir, there are many unresolved hurdles we have in the trade that are blocking the business growth. In
many areas, we have been working for many years and with your support, we hope we can certainly fast
track and solve some of the current key issues without delay.
To formalize the Customs 24hr Operation along with other connected authorities
To establish 24 hours online payments to mainly to Customs & SLPA without restricting the
facility to few banks
To have clear guidelines from DGMS on “Delivery Order Fees” and to have a structured
mechanism or to establish a high powered committee to handle trade disputes
Eliminating Grey imports in to the country which hamper genuine importers & loss of revenue
to the country.
To establish a Transparent / hassle free valuation system
Implementation of Single Window concept
Submission of electronic / online manifest to customs/ SLPA, supporting advance shipment
clearance
Required amendments to the customs ordinance and SPLA ordinance, acceptance of e-signatures
and overall supporting e-commerce
From SLPA Mr Chairman,
Trade does not expect any disruption from port connected services, like sudden work stoppages
by transporters
Cargo de-stuffing delays due to equipment shortages
Shortage of warehouse space and delays in de-stuffing of LCL cargo within 24 hours
Formalize clearance of Dangerous Cargo during 24 hours
Clear bottlenecks at the gates for cargo to move out freely
Increase cargo scanners for faster movement of goods out of the port.
Improvements of all these areas are certainly critical as every in-efficiency is adding cost to the products
and in turn effects - either cost of living or in the case of re-exports, competitiveness in the global
markets. We are aware that work has already started in many areas but all of these have to be fast
tracked to protect the existing business and also SME sector to grow with ease for the future.
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While these can be considers as short term, Importers in the trade expects the government policies to be
more long term & consistent. Trade need the market confidence to make decisions on investments and
to implement business expansion strategies. This is also one of our key concerns always.
Therefore Import section tirelessly work with the relevant authorities to ensure the basics are right and
they are in place. Needless to say, Import trade has a direct bearing on government’s policy changes
especially imports restrictions, sudden duty and tariff revisions or effects due to bi-lateral and multi-
lateral FTA etc.
We the Import Sector contributes to the economy in three key areas:
Imports as a value adder to the Sri Lankan economy
Imports as a revenue earner to the economy
Imports as a growth facilitator in the economy.
It is important to note that Sri Lanka has a larger import share and therefore the role of importers
continue to be significant and is vital for the economy to sustain its current stability and to have long
term growth prospects. It is observed that any developing economy in its early stages will record
imports driven growth or an imports-intensive growth.
Therefore, our import trade is always watchful as to how the Government is contemplating in cutting the
trade deficit. We urge the decision makers to be mindful of the Importers who still form a major part of
the Sri Lanka’s economy in many ways. Also we are happy to see the growth in the export sector and
strongly feel that it should be more diversified speedily. Import sector will be always hopeful that
government will engage in a wider consultation process with the sector and to be more consistent on
trade and tariff policies enabling business sector to invest on sustainable business ventures.
Imports Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Consists of over 128 member corporate
companies representing a cross section of all sectors and function directly as one of the Trade sections
of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. We follow our vision to be the most influential and effective
voice of the importers in the business community. To this effect our 16 member executive committee
takes over several key areas of importance to importers under different sub committees, such as Sri
Lanka Customs and Ports, Import Tariffs and FTAs, EDI Development, Trade and Finance, Shipping,
Strategic Issues, are some of our key focus areas.
We will continuously work on and we look forward to work with the authorities closely on the
unresolved matters to resolve them successfully. We assure our fullest co-operation for all positive
change taken by the policy makers. At the same time, we have experienced situations of having ad-hoc
implementation of duties/taxes which have heavy impacts on businesses which does not giving
confidence for businesses to make long term decisions without much hesitation.
Further under the infrastructure development, the government’s initiatives of having Air & Sea Port
development projects, Promoting Hub concepts and developing high way projects are certainly
benefitting the trade to grow.
Finally, Importers will be always concerned over having simplified consistent Duty / tax systems, a free
and fair trading environment to compete in the markets to contribute to the growth of the national
Annual Report 2015/2016 38 | P a g e
economy, tariff structures in Sri Lanka to be in line with regional structures as high tariffs create gray
market activities by under-valuation, entry of poor quality goods and finally loss of government revenue
through such activities, I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the officials of the
Government, Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution,
Import Control Department and the other Authorities which are involved in the facilitation of trade to
understand the today’s business environment and to have a more open consultative mechanism with
trade associations like the Import Section and cooperate with the private sector in order to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of the trade operations.
Ladies and the Gentlemen, I wish to assure you that Imports Section will serve as a platform to support
our member companies and trade by providing a forum for topical issues, ensuring a level playing field
for all our members and for the trade and sincerely expect all these to finally add value to our members
and their business.
Before I conclude, I wish to thank my vice chairman Nishan Nanayykara and the full committee for all
the support given during the year and special thanks and appreciation goes to the Secretariat of Ceylon
Chamber to Mrs. Manori Dissanayaka and Ms. Manjula Maldeniya and for their unstinted cooperation
and assistance as the Secretaries of the Import Section and to all you ladies and gentlemen for your
presence today.
Thank You”.
Unquote
ADDRESS BY THE GUEST OF HONOUR – Dr. Lakdas Panagoda, Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports
Authority
Quote
“Good Evening!
Hon. Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake, the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and the committee of
Import Section, Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Ladies and Gentleman,
Thank you for your kind invitation extended to me this evening and it is an honour to be asked to
address such a distinguished audience. I have chosen the title “Sri Lanka - The Way Ahead” as I am
sure it is a subject that interests most of us. The Chamber of Commerce plays a vital role in Sri Lanka’s
future, by providing a platform for local businesses and being their voice. Your members, being partners
of a vibrant business community in Sri Lanka, are already making a big contribution to take this country
forward, towards our common goal of occupying a prominent place in the international arena.
We may be doing many things right but as you know there are times when we need to pause and think
as to whether something could be done better. One important area that we need to pay attention to, is
preparing young people for the workplace. In other words, we must bridge the gap between business
and education. I know that even in the UK, many young people are denied meaningful interaction with
the world of work. Many employers are frustrated by the lack of skills and experience that they are
looking for. More should be done to better prepare them for the workplace. The key areas that need
Annual Report 2015/2016 39 | P a g e
addressing have been identified as improving “soft skills” such as communication, team-work and
resilience, as well as better careers advice and engagement with business in schools. As the younger
generation has to be groomed to take over the responsibilities in the future, we should work more
closely with them. It is a shared responsibility between business, education and government to address
this. Maybe a “Young Chamber Membership” could be started if it is not already done.
Having gone to the UK as a teenager and having lived there until early this year, I had a lot to learn
about working in Sri Lanka during the past 6 months. I must say that it has been a very interesting
experience. I quite agree with the international opinion that Sri Lanka has an intelligent work force.
(Some of them may be too intelligent at times). We need to guide them properly. In some situations,
introducing new working practices could prove to be a culture shock. Regular communication and
education would be very important in this regard. I must say that I am quite impressed with the standard
of some of the senior staff that we have at Sri Lanka Ports Authority. We encourage them to express
their views and come up with suggestions so that we can work towards the same goal as a team.
As you know, each business has its own style, working practices, aims, issues etc. but what is common
to all is the need to achieve and improve profitability. Needless to say that a good business would look
at ways in which to expand further. In the process, you would not only be successful yourself, but also
very importantly, you would contribute to the economic development of the country.
I am pleased to say that the Sri Lanka Ports Authority managed to undertake several policy initiatives
since January this year, and made much progress with significant achievements in the past 6 months.
These include Board approvals and in some cases cabinet approvals to implement important long term
plans such as,
The completion of the East Container Terminal by SLPA or as a joint venture with an International
Terminal Operator with SLPA holding majority share.
Tender procedure for supply of equipment for the East Container Terminal.
The process of development and implementation of an ISO 9001 Quality Management System at JCT to
be completed in August 2015.
Engagement with international bunker operators to manage and operate the Hambantota Tank Farm on
PPP basis.
Engagement of an international Ro-Ro operator on PPP basis for the vehicle transshipment at
Hambantota.
Conversion of BQ terminal to a fully-fledged International Cruise Terminal.
Implementing the 24 hour operation with the cooperation of Sri Lanka Customs.
Process of establishing an industrial zone at Hambantota.
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I must thank the Minister of Ports and Shipping and the Minister of Finance for their support and the
commitment that made it all possible. We want to see that Sri Lanka becomes the maritime hub of the
region. With its strategic positioning and the resourcefulness Sri Lanka has the potential to do extremely
well in the international arena.
It is a fact that more and more women are now owning businesses and occupying key positions. I was
pleased to read recently that 25% of the establishments in Sri Lanka are run by women entrepreneurs.
This is quite impressive and our country must be quite high up in the list compared to other countries.
We wish to say “well done” ladies.
Thank you. Good night”.
Unquote
ADDRESS BY THE CHEF GUEST – Hon. Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance
Quote
“Good evening to every one of you. Members of the head table, distinguished invitees, ladies and
gentlemen. Firstly let me thank you at the outset for inviting me here today to speak to you on topical
subjects and ease certain fears that are there and to give assurance that we are a government on the
move. I came with a prepared text however the Chairman of Import Section Dinesh de Silva was so
keen on coming out with certain solutions to some of the questions he posed and I thought to myself, let
me take the bull by the horns.
Eighty years ago setting up an import section and promoting, coordinating and supporting the interest of
the imports of trade is indeed a great achievement. And I must say with distinction it was done with a
lot of finesse and a lot of professionalism and there seems to be a sense of continuity that goes on unlike
many other institutions that are there, that spring up and vanish as quickly as they come in.
Sense of togetherness
The intention of the Chamber is to bring a sense of unanimity among all the importers but let me first
question whether that exists with the importers. I was telling Dinesh, just before my speech I don’t seem
to see the sense of harmony that exists amongst importers as much as what the Chamber would like to
do. This exists in all other chambers. There should be a sense of togetherness.
If you look at countries like Pakistan, Egypt and Bangladesh, governments are brought to their knees by
the chambers and I have been advocating this because I see there is no sense of togetherness whether
it’s in exports or imports in Sri Lanka. I was trying to do this when I was the Trade Minister in 2001-
2004; some took advantage and others took advantage on ex-officio points. I call upon all of you senior
officials and businessman here to inculcate this when you look at it in the short run, if not we will step
in as a government move try to force every importer/exporter to be through a chamber so that you get a
sense of togetherness or a collective sense of negotiating on many matters.
You all are talking about grey imports, etc. but I was just telling your Chairman that at least 10%-15%
on a daily basis seems to be trying to penetrate to the system from a devious manner. We got Dr.
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Neville Goonewardena, former Director General of Customs; I am sure he will bear testament while we
are trying to correct this we don’t see a sense of urgency in the market. Short term opportunity gained is
what they are looking at rather than long haul.
I am sure many of this comes from the change that the people of this country chose on 8 January. There
is tremendous change in the democratic process. And I see when things are going good, people are keen
to go on and I hope the same situation will continue after 17 August. When things are going good, let
things go without a problem. We have seen things happening now and we could see what was not
existing for the past 11-12 years suddenly coming in the 150 days. A small matter to ponder on and get
things moving from a different direction.
Ease of doing business
As the Chairman expected me to respond to some of the questions, so I thought the first thing that we
have brought into the system is trying to do business with ease. I am sure in the last three months you
have seen a significant change in the attitude of the Government servants. The mindset has to be
changed and what we thought was under the leadership of the Prime Minister who entrusted me to take
command of doing business with ease we brought in many institutions that take decisions in the country
to come before the investors, small, medium or large, to come and highlight the problems they face.
Sometimes the problems we see may differ from their angle. But yesterday was the third meeting we
had and I must say things are improving tremendously. I called upon the chambers to come there not as
chamber representatives, but standing on behalf of the members who were represented and let them
come into the forum and address the issues that they have and I am sure you see that there is a quick
resolution that will come by doing business with ease.
Coherent and consistent
The other one is that as a Government we have been trying to be very coherent, consistent and in a
continuous manner that with quick decisions and I am sure you would have seen some dramatic
changes, have been done in the short run. Even with a minority Government, we have dared the system
and have been successful because that is what the people are expecting today.
The Government institutions that are being entrusted to do this I must say are learning quickly the
intention of the Government and responding to certain matter. We have got the Commissioner General
of Inland Revenue today and you could see a mindset change there as well; you could see revenues are
going up, hassle is less and as a result you could see a wanting to work towards this business sector.
Freight forwarding
Now Chairman you mentioned many matters you wanted me to address. First on the SLPA as the
Chairman is here and my freight forwarding guru, my friend, Diren Hallock, here today. He basically
gave an idea, in fact it’s his brainchild; he gave this idea 15-20 years ago. He got the airport airfreight
division, the cargo village, to come up a concept where the FF gets 80-90% cargo either LCL or FCL to
ensure you have delivery system that exist in the aviation (air cargo village). And I think the same thing
may be good to be replicated in the SLPA, as there have been delays that are there due to the lack of
efficiency that exists in the SLPA.
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So just telling the Chairman that it’s a good idea to ponder and come up with the importers deficiency
and for the FF associations and see if you can replicate the same type of thing under the abled guidance
of the SLPA and allowing the FF and import section to step in and have a public private partnership;
nothing wrong there. They still charge the same but you can do the work.
So that’s the way we like to bring the sense of efficiency coming in so that may be an area the Chairman
of SLPA that you can basically liaise with them and try to see how you can get it going. This may be a
way forward because there will be much more shipments to come rather than what is going on at the
moment because as you could see there is a great urgency in developing imports and exports in this
country and we have taken upon that this country needs to export and on that basis we will facilitate
everything possible in order to get to that target.
Connectivity to other entities
Then the Chairman Import Section was asking about the many unresolved issues. You mentioned the
connectivity to other entities. As I basically call all of you’ll and have given time till end September as
the time that all these institutions will be connected online and I am sure the Inland Revenue has already
begun the migration. So as a result you will find the entities working on 24x7 on a single window basis.
The timeframe given is end September and I call upon you as the Chairman to get involved in that
committee.
The problem is that you’ll like to come in but don’t get involved in the system. So please ensure that
you have a member permanently on that committee so that you can flag any delays that are taking place.
This is a complete change in the Government approach that is there. We the Government don’t think
that we know it all. You’ll are there; we have to service you’ll so come into the system and ensure that
you take advantage. Dr. Neville Goonewardena is in the committee as well and ensure you give the
ideas that is there.
Trade disputes
Then trade disputes; the Merchant Shipping Act needs to be changed and certain things will be looked
in if there have been delays. But except for one or two matters, I have not seen that there is a stumbling
block. But if there are any precarious areas that are there concerning you’ll, please do come forward and
we will ensure that those matters are put to rest.
Determining import values are one of the major problems that are there and the Director General of
Customs was called today in the morning and we have placed a review panel that basically looks at the
valuation that goes on because it is very subjective. It basically in the hands of one or two officials who
they decide as to what the value would be. This is very prominently displayed in the valuation of cars,
etc., and I have taken the initiative to try and ensure this is completely rectified and once again Dr.
Goonewardena’s knowledge is being tapped and I’m sure it helps to facilitate the process.
I did give instructions yesterday to ensure that this beefed up and not to make it a talk shop there but to
ensure things happen there and you would see that you would be once in two weeks meetings are
convened and within that two weeks any problems that are unresolved will be referred to and a quick
resolution within the day will be provided. That is only going to determine the true valuation.
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Now to further improve this I would invite you’ll nominate a member from the Chamber of Imports and
we will put that also in to the committee. Already three people are in the committee nominated by
myself and by adding the fourth person, we would like to see that you walk to talk that is there. So you
have a problem, you are within that as long as there is no conflict of interest you can go and make the
decision.
We have seen that the revenues we collect are far less than what is anticipated to be collected and that’s
the reason why we are doing these correct actions so help us to collect the revenue that is desired and
reduce the burden that is on the people. Taxes are there from all corners but we don’t collect the revenue
that we got to collect. So that’s the pursuit that we basically believe.
Delays in clearing
Then delays in clearing; I don’t think it is something significant because I’m sure the SLPA Chairman is
on this and there is a good team there. My general feeling is that we could have a higher efficiency that
goes on so that it will help to reduce cost and help ships to move out quicker but certainly it’s within
tolerable limits. But certainly if there are any delays, ensure that you have a close consultation with the
SLPA and I’m sure you will be able to resolve matters fast.
The dangerous goods is once again the same. But I’m sure if you look at SLPA tying up with freight
forwarders and the interested parties are able to come with a solution which will be a quick fix solution.
Then the scanners; I did ensure that this scanning process would be put to place because we see revenue
erosion one of the biggest problems that are there and very sad. So I have given the Customs a task of
trying to bring the scanners in by end of August/September but realistically we were trying to
implement it by the end of the year. My feeling is by October you would have a system in place. We
will be having trial runs, we will simulate the system that is there and from January we will ensure that
every container would be fully scanned so that you will be able to ensure that quick clearing that goes
on. The only problem that is there is the general scanning is that you have a drive through operation
which is not as effective as it could be.
The next stage, efficacy, is much more; unfortunately it’s about four to five times the cost. Now the cost
per container is something which you are mindful of and we are trying to do a POT operation to ensure
that the Government doesn’t just carry on investing on unwanted areas and have obsoleteness on our
hands. But we find that there is a very good responsive approach that is there and we will definitely
finish this by October.
I feel the country is improving and have realised things are going on and this is the only way you can
leap in to a better technological era and put Sri Lanka, the miracle of Asia.
Policies
The next one is the policies; I am sure it is nothing but coming from the private sector knowing what
you’re saying is it has to be consistency, continuity and basically effective nation making. This is
something that we will try to do at our best. But the only problem is trying to have changes of duties;
there are certain matters that have to be taken when it comes to agricultural commodities, you have to
have that quick resolution because when the domestic farmers have to be protected, there has to be a
Annual Report 2015/2016 44 | P a g e
mechanism that is fair and comes in protecting both ends. So these are the areas that you will have very
few interventions by the Government that doesn’t have this consistent coherent policy.
So ladies and gentlemen I basically think your Chairman did ask pertinent questions which are relevant
and timely and I am hopeful I was able to answer many of your problems that you have. But as you
know, persons from the trade, who belong to your area and able and looking forward to seeing that there
is quick resolution and quick clearing process ensure that the 24x7 clearing process is still not put to
good use. I mean there are much more things that can be done. Ensure that the process can make you
reduce your costs and ensure that you have proper planning is there.
Professionalism
You could see that there is professionalism coming in to the Government department. But the only thing
that is expected of you is that it doesn’t come cheap. Because today Government servants are getting
much more decent salaries than what they were getting before; but it’s still not good enough compared
to the private sector. So with that mindset, that’s why we gave a substantial salary increase which was
not given for 10-11 years, we gave it in 29 days. But that has certainly given a much more motivational
approach and all I want from you’ll is walk the talk, your right to question and you ensure that you have
the same thing backed up that enables to take command of those able to do those particular things you
are questioning. We will open the doors, but don’t shut the doors on your side.
Thank you very much for inviting me today and we are there and responsive and you don’t need to have
one year more to have the Minister coming to answer your question. We have an open door policy
where you are able to contact the Ministry and be able to have our officials helping you, our
Government institutional heads will respond to you. But even if you unable to get any satisfactory
answers to any of your questions, I’m there to respond to you.
Together let’s revolutionize Sri Lanka.
Thank you.”
Unquote
LAUNCH OF THE WEBSITE
Chairman invited the Chief Guest Hon. Minister Ravi Karunanayake to officially launch the website of The
Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Nothing to report.
VOTE OF THANKS - Mr. Nishan Nanayakkara
Quote
“Hon Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance, Dr. Lakdas Panagoda, Chairman Sri Lanka Ports
Annual Report 2015/2016 45 | P a g e
Authority, Mr. Mangala Yapa, Chief Executive Officer of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Dinesh
de Silva, Chairman Chamber Imports Section, Mr. Kevin Edwards, immediate Past Chairman,
Committee members, Distinguish Invitees and my dear Ladies & Gentlemen.
On behalf of the Imports section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, I wish to extend my deepest
appreciation to our Chief Guest, Hon. Ravi Karunanayake for being present here today at our 80th
AGM. Following the recent developments in the Political arena, I am sure the Hon. Minister has quite a
busy schedule but despite all that, we are most grateful to you sir for gracing this occasion and sharing
your thoughts on future development plans, especially the ones that will benefit the importers of this
country. I also wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the initiative taken to implement 24x7
customs operation which no doubt has benefited both importers and exporters, immensely. Thank you
sir.
I also wish to thank Dr. Panagoda for accepting our invitation and being present here today as our Guest
of Honor. I understand that Dr. Panagoda returned from an overseas tour a day ahead, just to be a
present at our 80th AGM. This no doubt bears testimony of the commitment and the support extended by
the key stake holders to our association which is considered to be the true voice of the Importers. Thank
you very much sir.
I wish to thank The Chamber Secretariat, especially Manjula & Manori for the support extended to us.
Organizing an event of this magnitude is no mean task and we thank the two of you for all the hard
work & a job well done.
As in the past, we had quite a number of sponsors. A big thank you to all of them and we sincerely hope
that they will continue to support us in our future endeavors.
The Management and the staff of Hilton Colombo Residences, thank you very much for providing us
with this venue. Our friends in the print and electronic media thank you for your usual support and
covering this event.
Finally, I thank all the special invitees and the members of the Import section for their participation.
Wish you all a very pleasant evening”
Unquote
TERMINATION OF MEETING
Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Chairman terminated the 80th Annual General Meeting and invited all for a
fellowship.
Manjula Maldeniya
For Secretary
29 July 2015
