Newly set up Sri Lanka Australia Chamber of Commerce to boost bilateral biz

From left: NBC Capital Director Bruce Scott, SLACC President and NBC Director Kalum De Silva and NBC Capital Director Shane Lawrence

The Sri Lanka Australia Chamber of Commerce (SLACC) was officially launched at the New South Wales Business Chamber Head Office in Sydney, Australia. Participants included officials, dignitaries, sports personalities and business leaders of the two nations.

The SLACC is the first, and only integrated bilateral Chamber umbrella constituted in Australia, to foster commercial trade and dialogue between Sri Lankan and Australian businesses; and shall be dedicated to providing practical and on-the-ground support for businesspeople who are entering or exploring these markets.  

SLACC’s inaugural President, Kalum De Silva noted that: “The launch of the Chamber is a momentous juncture on the road to strengthening economic relations between the two countries and would no doubt add further impetus to extant efforts.”

At present, major Sri Lankan exports to Australia include apparel, tea, rubber and clay construction materials while dairy, vegetables, paper and paperboard, and animal feed make up the major Australian exports to Sri Lanka. In fact Sri Lanka is Australia’s largest importer of lentils, importing around 70% of Australia’s lentils. Sri Lanka is also the 8th largest source of students pursuing a tertiary education in Australia. The two-way merchandise trade between the two countries amounted to AUD $389 million in 2013/14, signaling tremendous potential for further growth. 

Membership is now open to Australian, Sri Lankan and international companies with a common interest in developing Sri Lanka and Australia business.

Further information is available online at www.srilankaaustralia.com.