Advisory council appointed to drive textile and apparel industry development

Colombo, Jan. 30 (Daily Mirror) - An Advisory Council for the Development of the Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Industry was formally appointed yesterday (29) under the patronage of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetti.

The Council is one of 26 Sectoral Advisory Councils operating under the Ministry and comprises 25 members representing the public sector, private sector and academia. Hemantha Perera, Managing Director of Isabella (Pvt) Ltd and Sarasavi Export (Pvt) Ltd, was appointed Chairman. The Council will function for a two-year term, providing guidance, support and policy direction for the development of the textile and apparel manufacturing sector.

During discussions with the newly appointed Chairman and Council members, Minister Handunnetti reviewed future measures required to strengthen the industry. Council members highlighted several challenges currently faced by the sector, including land acquisition issues, labour shortages, policy constraints, raw material supply difficulties and export-related concerns. The need to introduce a cess tax to protect local textile and apparel manufacturers was also raised.

Emphasising the strategic importance of the industry, Minister Handunnetti noted that the textile and apparel sector provides around 1.2 million direct jobs and is Sri Lanka’s largest foreign exchange earner. He assured that steps would be taken to address the existing issues in the sector at the earliest.

The event was attended by Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development, Subhadra Walpola and S.W.C. Jayamini, along with ministry officials, representatives of the Industrial Development Board, Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Textile and Garment Institute, National Crafts Council, National Design Centre, garment associations and other industry stakeholders.