Sri Lanka’s export performance failed in past 2 decades-President

President Maithripala Sirisena, at a public event on Friday, strongly criticised Sri Lanka's export performance over the past two decades saying one of the reasons is that local industry has been sidelined.
Addressing the opening of the 10th Annual Footwear and Leather Fair 2017 at the BMICH in Colombo, the President said exports has been deteriorating for the last two decades and successive governments during this period have not performed exports satisfactorily.
He said that governments for the last 15 to 20 years have not given its due place to the local industry in their national policies. However during the era of Sirimavo Bandaranaike and her husband S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike the position was different in that the local industry had flourished and there had been real improvement and identity.
He said that at a recent National Economic Forum he made a declaration that he would intervene and pressurise in matters connected to the local industry and such a comment has jolted some (political) quarters. But President Sirisena said that without such intervention the country cannot be developed to emerge out of its developing country status.  
While the country should give more value to its resources, they should also have to be mindful of the place in which the country is in the export market which, according to him, is extremely unsatisfactory and special effort should be made to improve this situation.
He said that developed countries have strong export policies (linked to strong local industries) and thereby their asset value goes up and they have earned it through exports. This country too, he said must improve its exports while also strengthening, safeguarding and assisting the local industry to be more export oriented. Thus, he cautioned that he would as a principle not allow any foreign manufacturers to establish here who release their products to the local market and interfere with local products.
He said he was prepared to listen to footwear and leather products manufacturers in their quest to improve the local industry and promote exports and would encourage, provide necessary resources and necessary tax reliefs which would also be extended to all local industries and agriculture.  (QP).