Import restrictions on ceramic imports to be relaxed soon

The government intends remove the current import restrictions on tile and sanitary ware soon and Sri Lanka will locally produce 80 percent of its tile requirement by 2022, State Minister of Finance, Money, Capital Markets and State Enterprise reforms Ajith Nivard Cabraal told Parliament this week. 

"We will remove restrictions on importing sanitary ware with 180-day prior notice, so that new models will reach the Sri Lankan market," the State Minister said. 

"We also intend producing 80 percent of the country's need for tiles locally by the year 2022. There are three large-scale companies which produce tiles locally and we intend to expand the industry by allowing more new players to come in," he said. 

Painting a rosy picture on the county's economy, the state Minister said Sri Lankan economy is experiencing a growth at the moment despite the global pandemic situation. 

“Sri Lanka is in for a bright future if we manage to resolve our exchange rates issue," he said. (By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)