Market Competitiveness of the Tea Industry of Sri Lanka

Advocata Institute launches its latest report titled “Market Competitiveness of the Tea Industry of Sri Lanka” The report is written by Sudaraka Ariyaratne, Research Consultant at Advocata Institute.

The report begins with an introductory chapter that details the historical evolution of the island’s tea industry. The report finds that the present standing of the industry in the context of the international market is not too grim, but argues that issues related to the labour market, capital investment, value addition, and quality control limit the industry’s competitiveness in the global stage. The rest of the report takes the form of four discussion papers, each on the four areas of concern listed above, that present an economic theory-based lens to approach these issues, and discuss potential solutions.

You can access the report on ‘Market Competitiveness of the Tea Industry of Sri Lanka’ here

On Sunday Leader : SL has a long way to go in removing para-tariffs

The Sunday Leader quotes an Advocata Institute event on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs):

think tanks and economists lament that Sri Lanka has a long way to go in removal of para-tariffs (taxes over and above normal tariffs) and trade liberalization to make Sri Lanka a haven for investments. 

To attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) for Sri Lanka, its burgeoning Indian Ocean Island economy, should cut barriers to trade and investment, top trade economist Prof. Prema-Chandra Athukorala said at a forum organized by Advocata Institute, a Colombo-based free market think tank.

“This would form a natural progression from garment manufacture, on which the country is now heavily reliant. Sri Lanka’s protectionist trade policy and erosion of confidence in the legal system are key factors that have discouraged investors resulting in a decline in Sri Lanka’s share in world manufacturing exports from around 2000,” he said.

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