Canada-sri Lanka have strong bilateral relations

Canada and Sri Lanka have strong bilateral relations based upon shared participation in the Commonwealth, and development assistance trough the Colombo Plan, in addition to the presence of a vibrant community of Canadian of Sri Lankan origin. Canadian interest in Sri Lanka is also driven by a foreign policy commitment to the principles of freedom of expression, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Long Standing Canada has a long-standing development assistance partnership with Sri Lanka dating back to the 1950s managed largely by the Canadian International Development Agency CIDA. In response to the tsunami of December 2004, the Canadian Government and individual Canadians pledged an unprecedented amount of assistance for relief, recovery and reconstruction projects in Sri Lanka. Annual bilateral assistance is approximately over $ 6 million, and recently Canada announced up to $25 million in humanitarian assistance. Canada also contributed to the Commonwealth Expert Team, which monitored the January 2010 presidential election.

Canadian trade with Sri Lanka stood over $500 million recently, with Canadian import over $125 million including nearly 50 percent in woven and knitted apparels. Canadian exports totalled over $350 million. Canada has established an important share of the Sri Lankan import market for wheat and other agriculture commodities. Recently, almost 81 percent ($350 million) of Canadian exports to Sri Lanka. Efforts are being made to expand the number of importers and agents who source pulses and special crops from Canada.

Splitting and Processing Mills

Currently, a couple of Mills are in operation and they import whole Lentils specially from Canada and are being split and processed scientifically for local use and export too. The produce of these concerns which are packed into bags are sold mainly to the wholesale market. They also provide considerable employment opportunities.