Germany’s Import Promotion Desk opens Colombo office to amplify cooperation in Sri Lanka

 From left: Janna Villatoro Barrera, H&T Feinkost GmbH, Germany, Javier Villatoro Barrera, H&T Feinkost GmbH, Germany, Moderator Ferry Böhnke, External IPD Consultant, Import Promotion Desk, Germany, Nishantha Jayatilaka, Worga Naturals, Sri Lanka, Senuri Gamage, Savour Route Sri Lanka and Jacob Fernando, Asian Agro Products Sri Lanka - Pic by Ruwan Walpola

• IPD will support partners in SL to enhance their portfolio of services for export promotion 
• Aims to establish sustainable trade relations
• IPD and EDB reaffirm their commitment for cooperation 
• IPD Hub set up in EDB premises to strengthen sustainable structures for trade promotion, to contribute with direct knowledge on the demand in the European markets

With plans to intensify activities in Sri Lanka, Germany's Import Promotion Desk (IPD) recently inaugurated its regional office in Colombo. 

The opening of this new representation, the German initiative for trade promotion strengthens its ties and cooperation with their strategic partner – the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka (EDB).

The IPD is funded by the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supports its partners in Sri Lanka with the aim to enhance their portfolio of services for export promotion and the goal to establish sustainable trade relations. 

At the opening ceremony of the IPD Hub in Sri Lanka, which was held on 27 January in Colombo, the EDB and IPD reaffirmed their commitment to their cooperation.

Since 2018, the IPD is realising activities with its Sri Lankan partners in the sector of Natural Ingredients – processed goods which are derived from nature in different presentations – with the objective to open market access for the Sri Lankan counterparts to the European Union (EU). 

The BMZ and the IPD are convinced of the economic potential of Sri Lanka and therefore the support program of IPD in Sri Lanka is being extended till end of 2024.

“We have been working very successfully with our Sri Lankan partners in the last years. With the opening of the IPD Hub in Sri Lanka, we want to reaffirm our commitment to the amplification of the cooperation. We are convinced that the IPD Hub in Colombo will contribute to an intensification of our cooperation, which will be beneficial for our partners in Sri Lanka, as well as for importers in Europe,” IDP Head of Sourcing and Markets Judith Emmerling confirmed.

The representative of IPD will be based at the EDB premises from where the IPD hub will support in strengthening sustainable structures for trade promotion and will contribute with direct knowledge on the demand in the European markets. 

Amongst the activities that are being enhanced are, participation at international trade fairs, awareness on corporate social responsibility, market intelligence and further capacity building measurements directed at business support organisations in the field of export promotion. 

The cooperating partners aim at an intensified knowledge transfer and the establishment of new services, as well as an enhancement of the currently existing export related service portfolio.

“We believe that this initiative will not only strengthen the commercial relations between Sri Lanka and the EU, but will also contribute in establishing a solid and strategic approach for growth in promoting our Sri Lankan products in the European markets,” EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel, emphasised.