Gem industry calls for urgent policy reforms
While Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery industry has enormous potential to become a significant foreign exchange earner for the country and a generator of employment across the island, urgent policy reforms are required to reverse the changes that have hindered growth, weakened global competitiveness, and led businesses to consider moving operations abroad.
Newly elected President of the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA), Akram Cassim made these remarks during the annual general meeting held last week.
Mr. Cassim highlighted that urgent attention is required for policy reforms in a bid to reverse the changes that have hindered growth, weakened global competitiveness, and led businesses to consider moving operations abroad. “If we can have urgent reforms and reverse policies that have impacted our industry negatively, we can create a business-friendly environment that will allow our trade to flourish,” he noted.
He proposed strategic partnerships of SLGJA with Sri Lanka Tourism and SriLankan Airlines to enhance the experience of every tourist visiting the island, presenting a unique opportunity to position the country as a premier destination for gemstone shopping and cultural experiences. “Let’s create an amazing sapphire experience for tourists visiting this Island,” Mr. Cassim proposed, stressing the unparalleled opportunity to capitalise on the country’s rich heritage as a source of the world’s finest blue sapphires.
The association envisions creating a comprehensive ‘Sapphire Shopping Experience’ for tourists, enticing them to own a piece of Sri Lanka’s rich heritage. By romanticizing the Ceylon Sapphire, Cassim believes that every aspect of the industry can be promoted, from the miners of Ratnapura to the gem cutters and traders of Beruwela, the gold and silver craftsmen of Kandy, the historic silversmiths of Galle, and the jewellery boutiques of Colombo.
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