Sri Lanka Shippers' Council Takes Proactive Steps to Enhance Industry Efficiency

25^th November 2023

The Sri Lanka Shippers' Council (SLSC) highlighted several industry critical challenges with a view to resolving urgent issues and ensuring a thriving export industry, at a recent meeting with the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS).

Attended by the Chairman of the SLSC Mr. Sean Van Dort, Chairman of the Export Development Board (EDB) Dr. Kingsley Bernard and Ms. Champika Hewage, Additional Director of the National Plant Quarantine Service, the meeting focused on streamlining processes, ensuring compliance and enhancing communication in order to increase efficiency and productivity in plant quarantine and export procedures.

Among the issues the SLSC highlighted were the significant gaps in knowledge sharing and timely dissemination of relevant information within the industry. Following suggestions made by the Council, the NQPS committed to ensuring relevant information be made available on the trade information portal and within the dedicated NPQS portal on the Department of Agriculture. The EDB also committed to exploring a mechanism to circulate general notices to industry associations.

Meanwhile, the NPQS emphasized that exporters must adhere to the regulations of the respective countries they export to, as these regulations vary across borders. Failure to comply can lead to a high number of alerts and, in some cases, a temporary halt in exports or even a ban on Sri Lankan exports to the concerned country.

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