Fresh vegetables and fruits
So what is so interesting about fresh vegetables and fruits in a market in Poland, as seen in this picture? Well they are fresh and neither crumpled nor occasionally sprayed with water to depict freshness as evident in the Sri Lankan marketplace, not forgetting locally injecting chemicals to increase the freshness and marketability! Pic by [...]
SriLankan Airlines gets lifeline from Treasury
In a last ditch attempt to maintain SriLankan Airlines till a foreign partner is found, the government has decided to infuse Rs.13.2 billion as a loan from two state banks, Bank of Ceylon (BOC) and the People’s Bank (PB). This came after a directive from the President to the airline’s board of directors to turn [...]
Plantation share rise –recipe for a potential bubble
With high tea prices recorded over the past three months, retail traders are grabbing onto plantation shares, alarming regulators as this can be a potential bubble, analysts say. “There’s a bit of good news on the plantations sector as tea prices are high and their June quarter results have been good. So, the retailers extrapolate [...]
Local lotteries to be overhauled with best practices
Sri Lanka’s lottery business is to be overhauled by introducing the best practices and principles of customer services to take it to the next level with new technologies, officials said. The aim is to bring back the public confidence in state- owned lotteries institutions as the people were gradually distancing from buying lotteries due to [...]
Finding a Sri Lankan “honda bass” online
A local software solutions company has invested over Rs.5 million to find you a “honda bass” (hondde-good) at no cost to the public or the worker thus employed. Xiteb, a software solutions provider to a number of companies in the country and a partner at the recent Cinnamon Future of Tourism summit showcased their services [...]
Positive changes for domestic workers
Are stiff barriers breaking down in West Asia, the land of El Dorado for many men and women from Sri Lankan rural communities? Most civil society activists engaged in working for the rights of migrant workers are likely to disagree. However, there seem to be positive moves in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other [...]
EFC symposium on sustainable enterprises
Corporate Governance within an organisation constitutes of two elements- one in relation to value chains and having a positive view on issues of sustainability; and the other, in relation to internal constituents, the employees. In a recent press release by the Employer’s Federation of Ceylon (EFC), its former Director General and the former Senior Specialist [...]
SLPA strategises for port growth
Sri Lanka’s Colombo port is preparing a series of growth strategies with expectations high on the increase in container throughput by the end of this year by 7.5 per cent compared to the previous year resulting in 6 million TEUs from the three key terminals. Colombo Port will handle six million containers with a growth [...]
RPCs a challenge to oil palm opponents
Sri Lankans, public sector officials and local villagers, opposed to setting up palm oil plantations are fighting Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) since the last two months from engaging in this cultivation overriding government policy. RPCs are facing a lot of flak from the public sector officials in the government bodies at the provincial level and [...]
Musical apples, dancing chickens and food for the soul!
POZNAN, Poland – The first thing that drew the attention of visitors to the opening day of the Pologra International food fair show in Poznan, 310 km away from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, on Tuesday, September 26 was several happy, giggly children and people with disabilities in groups being shown around the exhibition centre. [...]
Inadequate HR skills, key constraint to growth -IPS
Against the background of a progressive improvement in the macroeconomic environment, led by better fiscal policy outcomes, Sri Lanka needs to urgently address structural constraints through a process of reforms, if the country is to raise its medium term growth prospects, the country’s leading economic policy think tank, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) says. In [...]
Breaking down the enclave system: What next for tea workers
Sri Lanka’s tea industry marks 150 years, this year. As the country hosts celebratory events we explore what the future holds for the indentured labour force at the bottom of the extensive tea value chain. As a group, they still remain among the poorest in Sri Lanka. At the heart of this poverty is an [...]
Sri Lankan finance companies face tough times
Sri Lanka’s over-crowded finance company sector is undergoing tough times as the slow down in sector growth is expected to continue amid Central Bank’s regulatory action including the policy measures, says the head of the Finance Houses Association (FHA). Policy measures taken to curtail importation of vehicles with the introduction of the Loan to Value [...]
Residential property developers shifting to commercial office space
While there is a dearth of commercial office space in Sri Lanka, residential property developers are now looking at alternatives to cater to the demand for commercial office spaces in the country, an official in the local real estate sector emphasised. On Tuesday, PropertyGuru for the first time launched the Asia Property Awards (APA) Sri [...]
GRI using IFS application
Sri Lankan specialist tyre manufacturer, Global Rubber Industries (Pvt) Ltd (GRI) has picked IFS, the global enterprise applications company, to implement IFS Applications™ as its central enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. In a joint media release, it was stated that GRI was founded in 2002 and has since grown into Sri Lanka’s largest specialist tyre [...]
Fairway Holidays to put up caravan park at Ascot Leisure’s Yala land
Fairway Holdings which acquired 75 per cent in Ascot Leisure in mid September will convert Ascot’s land in Yala – originally bought to set up a hotel – to a caravan park, officials said. This land has been approved for a 30-room hotel but the new owners have changed these plans. “We will park caravans [...]
Including economic, social and cultural rights in the new Constitution
Background Sri Lanka is in the process of drafting its third Constitution since independence from the British colonial rule in 1948; the first being the Republican Constitution of 1972 and the second being the 1978 Constitution. The current process of Constitution drafting has been unique because of its public consultations throughout the country. There was [...]
High food taxes drive cost of living – Advocata Institute
Advocata Institute, a Colombo-based independent policy think tank, is launching a project to monitor import tariffs on food, with weekly updated figures available on the institute’s website as a “Food Tax Tracker”. In a media release issued on Wednesday, the organisation said that Sri Lanka has high food costs. Consumer prices are 25.22 per cent [...]
Innovative products at ABAF 2017 ‘Start-up Corner’
Sri Lanka’s first Asian Business Angel Forum (ABAF), to be held next week, features a “Start-up Corner” where innovative Asian region, and local, start-up ventures will showcase new offerings for conference delegates as well as the general public. For two days, starting on October 11, there will be over 30 stalls set up at the [...]
“Time to move away estate workers from plantations”
With reference to the above headlined article published in the Business Times on October 1, an error has crept in a particular comment made by Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda during a speech at the Planters Association AGM. It should correctly read as: “Only three per cent of these 18-24 year olds [...]
First ever Colombo International Shopping Festival underway
Colombo this week played host to its first ever shopping festival, tipped to be on par with Dubai and Singapore festivals, five years down the line, tourism industry officials said. Addressing a media briefing at the Sri Lanka Institute of Hotel Management (SLITHM) the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara said that this [...]
State hospitals being automated, patient records computerised and clinic appointments by phone
State institutions including courts and hospitals are moving forward using advanced technology and automation to improve services to the public. As a first step, 30 hospitals are being updated with advanced methods of booking appointments and a patient’s data being recorded, according to a top Government official. Wasantha Deshapriya, Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication [...]
NKar creates buzz among 3-wheelers for World Tourism Day celebrations
An awareness campaign was held to educate 3-wheel owners/drivers to reap long term benefits from tourists by adopting best practices, rather than looking at immediate short term gains. The campaign was carried out by NKar Travels where they briefed the three-wheel drivers on the following: Avoid reckless driving; Don’t over-charge a passenger; To avoid sexual [...]
Sethsuwa Pranajeewa to hit more European cities
Due to the huge demand from many countries around the world for Sethsuwa Pranajeewa, it has been decided to increase the distribution network targeting the European market, Sethsuwa Ayurveda Hospital, promoters of the product, said last week. Several consumers in 20 countries including the US, Australia, Italy, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Austria, Switzerland and the [...]
Guests donate 8,500 ‘Kilos of Kindness’ in Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’ global charity drive
Baar, Switzerland – Big-hearted guests at 46 Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts properties around the world have donated 8,500kg of food, clothing and educational supplies to support disadvantaged families around the world. This overwhelming generosity is the result of the global hospitality group’s successful 2017 ‘Kilo of Kindness’ charity drive, which ran from 1-15 September and [...]
Ways of regulating dam safety in Sri Lanka
Prevention is better than cure. It is a proverb we hear mostly in health care. This is equally valid in the disaster management arena as well. Whatever action taken to prevent or mitigate any disaster will save lives, property, environment and government funds for post-disaster rehabilitation which could be used for better purpose. We, Sri [...]
Seedstars returns to Colombo
Seedstars World <http://www.seedstarsworld.com/> , the global seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, is returning to Sri Lanka on October 19 at 5 pm at the Hive @ Foster Lane, Colombo. In line with its mission to place the spotlight on entrepreneurs from emerging markets, Seedstars World is travelling to more than [...]
Tough times ahead with dim prospects for foreign inflows
Remittances from Sri Lankans working overseas to their families back home fell during the first seven months of this year for the second time in two years, raising concerns that many poverty stricken families dependent on this income could be hit in the island, economic analysts said. An economic slowdown and falling oil prices in [...]
Tourism conference panel discussion
Panel discussion in progress at the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Conference held in Colombo last week. From left: Dileep Mudadeniya – Head of Brand Marketing, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts; Fazal Ashfaq -Country Lead for Bangladesh & Sri Lanka for Google’s South Asia Emerging Markets at Google; Rene Massati – Brand Ambassador for TrendOne; Oliver Martin [...]
Continuous disregard of rules irks CSE
Are rules meant to be followed or broken? It’s a billion dollar question in the case of certain listed firms at the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). For instance CSE rules say that within two (2) market days any information pertaining to the financials of a listed firm should be disclosed to the CSE. But yet, [...]