Lanka dumping ground for cheap low quality goods

By Mario Andree

While Sri Lanka is aiming to develop its economy with a high per capita income the country has turned in to a dumping ground for many international markets, several importers said.

Emphasising on the low policy measures adopted to control quality, the Sri Lanka-China Business Co-operation Council said that the country was accepting garbage from international markets.

They said that the country was a dumping ground for major markets for more than 20 years and called for necessary policy measures to be adopted in controlling quality.

According to Sri Lanka-China Business Co-operation Council President Nihal Mallikaaratchi, while the country was promoting bilateral trade with advanced economies proper procedures were required to ensure better quality products entered the market.

He said from inception Sri Lanka was considered as a dumping ground as the local market was price driven and low quality products were high in demand.

With the country’s per capita income increasing, citizens should now focus on quality rather than price.

The council launching the second SLCBCC Business Star Awards told journalists that 98 percent of total trade between the two counties accounted for imports from China.

A large component of the imports was low quality goods which could be referred as junk which could be found on the streets. However, there was a range of high quality products available at reasonable prices which needed to be promoted, they said.

In response to a question raised by the press, they said that the Chinese had no objection to a third party inspection of goods before it was shipped, however the cost was very high and many importers did not want an additional cost landed on their bills.

However the Sri Lankan Customs should not allow low quality products enter the country, and proper policy measures should be adopted to stop such imports, they said.