Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka launches rubber survey

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Sri Lanka is aiming to upgrade the rubber sector, starting with a national survey to capture data and trends.

"I am pleased to announce that we are launching the first ever national rubber industry survey next month. We are also now looking at creating high end rubber testing lab facilities that the industry needs.

All of this will contribute to the Rubber Masterplan which seeks to generate $4 billion worth of rubber exports by 2022," Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce, said recently. These comments came during a meeting with representa­tives of the Sri Lanka Associatio­n of Rubber Product Manufactur­ers and Exporters (SLARPME). The delegation was led by Justin Seneviratn­e, Vice Chairman of SLARPME and a Director of Lalan Rubber Pvt Ltd.

"This will be the first trade focused national rubber survey in the country. Once the survey is completed we will create a database. The findings will then be fed to the comprehens­ive Rubber Labour force developmen­t survey that follows," the Minister said according to a media release issued by the Ministry .Meanwhile the City Cluster Economic Developmen­t model (CCED) of the ADB has selected Sri Lanka's rubber industry as a pilot and its Phase III project is expected to end in December this year. In addition to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, ADB also partners with Ministry of Plantation Industries and the private sector on the CCED initiative. The first survey to start next month which will survey the industry's production, factories, employee numbers, and labour issues will be completed at a cost of Rs 3 million.

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