Sri Lanka is the logical location for the manufacturing and service organizations those wish to establish a presence in a growing economy in the region. The island is ideally located as the gateway to the vast Indian subcontinent.
-
Strategically located in the Indian Ocean providing an excellent geographic for both sea and air transportation.
-
Stable political environment with the Government implementing policies aimed at sustainable long term growth.
-
Very high literacy rate resulting in an educated and adaptable work force which is very cost competitive.
-
Strong and resilient economy which currently enjoys a GDP Growth rate in excess of 7%.
-
Investor friendly, supportive policies which encourage foreign Direct Investment and protect the interest on investors.
-
Very attractive long term tax and other benefits for investors.
-
Free trade Agreements with India.
-
Strong on-going emphasis on infrastructure development.
-
Achieving prominence as the shipping, trading, manufacturing and tourist hub of the region.
Tea plantation in the Sri Lankan central highlands. Photo Credits: Mckay Savage
The quality of life is the highest in the South Asia region. A cosmopolitan living environment, abundant recreational facilities, a culture dating back 5000 years, unparelled natural beauty and an equable climate through the year make Sri Lanka a pleasant place in which to live.
The Lion Rock is a 200 meter high stone fortress and palace ruin in Sigiriya town in Sri Lanka. This photo has been taken from the remains of the gardens that lead up to this rock and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Photo Credits: Shashi Shekhar
Comparisons have shown that Sri Lanka offers one of the most liberal business environments in Asia. Total foreign ownership is welcome in most areas of the economy, except for a few areas reserved for Sri Lankans. There are no restrictions on the repatriation of earnings and capital.
The World Trade Center, Bank of Ceylon, The Old Parliment, The Central Bank of Sri Lanka, The Colombo Hilton and the Galadari Hotel located at Colombo 1.
The closest neighbour, India with over 1.24 billion population (over 1/6th of the world population) and being the seventh largest country of the world ( over 3.2 Million Sq.Km) and with the world’s one of the largest economies, is less than 800 nautical miles (Chennai Port) from Sampur Heavy Industrial Zone.
India has risen to become a key demand centre in the global seaborne export coal market. In 2010, India was the world’s fourth largest coal importer and by FY20-21 India’s seemingly indefatigable demand for imports to see it rise to become the world’s largest coal importing nation, with combined coking and thermal coal imports forecast to total 341 Mt.
On the back of a significant steel making capacity expansion plans, a huge new coal-fired power capacity surge and an increasing reliance on imported coal supply, it is expected overall thermal and coking coal demand to grow from 594 Mt in FY10-11 to 1407 Mt in FY20-21, representing a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%. Furthermore, combined thermal and coking coal imports are forecast to rise at a CAGR of almost 13% which will result in significant opportunities to compete with India’s major traders to meet strengthening. Today, investors will find an intelligent, educated demand.
