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The Textile Industry Development Minister Mahinda Ratnathilaka in consultation with President Mahinda Rajapaksa will increase the textile levy imposed on textile imports. The principal aim of the Government is to sell more locally manufactured textiles, the Textile Industry Development Ministry revealed.
Textile Industry Development Minister Mahinda Ratnathilaka told The Island Financial Review that people, especially ladies had shown a keen interest in local textiles because of its high quality and the local designs. In the past the textile technology was not developed and the country mainly depended on foreign textile markets.
He pointed out that President Rajapaksa was determined to develop the textile industry because the country was losing money on foreign textiles. The Government had been spending a great deal of money on school uniforms provided to school children free of charge.
He added that to popularize local textiles a heavy levy on foreign textiles should be imposed and the sartorial artistes in the country should be encouraged to sew more ready-made garments on par with foreign tailors. The country was proud of exporting ready-made garments even to the United States.
Minister Ratnathilaka said that the Randiya Institute had done a valuable service to the country because the Institute trained 350 young men and women annually and the young men and women, who were obsessed by fear of unemployment, would be able to find jobs either in the public sector or private sector. The trained tailors attached to the Randiya Institute would create new textiles extensively.
