The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE), a private sector chamber for Sri Lankan exporters, has submitted a comprehensive package of proposals for the upcoming national budget, calling for bold reforms to strengthen the export sector, attract investment, and enhance Sri Lanka’s global competitiveness.
The recommendations are the outcome of extensive consultations with NCE members and the chamber’s sectoral heads, ensuring they reflect the genuine challenges and aspirations of exporters across industries.
While specific reforms have been suggested for high-potential sectors such as minerals, floriculture, and horticulture, the chamber stressed that the majority of proposals are cross-cutting measures that apply broadly across all export industries.
In trade facilitation, NCE states that exporters face delays and high costs due to inefficient procedures and outdated systems.
The NCE has called for a modern cargo scanner at the Katunayake Export Processing Centre, a single-window digital system for exporter registration and renewals, and branding and market access.
Addressing the challenge of Sri Lankan exporters often losing value by supplying under foreign labels, the NCE suggests building stronger brand equity.
The chamber proposes government-backed liability insurance and tax concessions for brand-building, fast-tracked trademark registration and Sri Lanka’s accession to the Madrid Protocol, and the relaunch of the EDB Brand Development Programme and global campaigns showcasing Sri Lankan quality.
The chamber, addressing the high cost of compliance and lack of accredited facilities which hinder exporters, especially SMEs, stated that the government should give accreditation of selected university laboratories to ISO 17025 standards, urging the EDB to reimburse 50% of certification costs and low-interest loan schemes.
In the aspect of value addition and innovation, the NCE proposes tax-free export profits for products with more than 60% local value addition, triple tax deductions for research and development, product innovation, and sustainability practices, and government-backed research and development fund to co-finance industry-academia partnerships.
Further, it addressed that as SMEs continue to struggle with limited access to affordable finance, proposing the creation of a Sri Lankan Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, and double tax deductions for investments in technology, capacity, and sustainability.
NCE President Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa said: “The export sector is the engine of Sri Lanka’s economic growth. Our proposals are practical, impactful, and focused on removing structural bottlenecks that hinder competitiveness. While we have highlighted issues faced by a few key sectors, the majority of our recommendations are cross-cutting and relevant to all exporters. If implemented, they will strengthen existing exporters, attract new investments, and create much-needed employment opportunities.”
NCE Secretary General and CEO Shiham Marikar emphasised the urgency of the labour issue: “Our proposals are drawn from the inputs of our members and sectoral heads, representing the real challenges exporters face on the ground. A common theme across every industry is the shortage of both skilled and unskilled labour, which must be addressed immediately if Sri Lanka is to compete globally. With the right policy support, exporters can not only boost foreign exchange earnings but also ensure Sri Lanka builds a skilled workforce and positions itself as a competitive hub in the international marketplace.”
The NCE expects that by adopting these proposals, Sri Lanka would be able to streamline trade facilitation and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies, strengthen the global presence of Sri Lankan brands, reduce costs for exporters through local testing and certification support, encourage value addition, innovation, and sustainability, empower SMEs with finance and market access, and resolve the labour shortage by creating a skilled, motivated workforce.