Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe together with a Sri Lankan delegation has reportedly left the country to attend an international conference in Singapore and Japan.
The President, together with his delegation including First Lady Maithri Wickremesinghe, Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, the President’s Private Secretary, Sandra Perera and others, has left the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport earlier this morning.
The delegation is on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH-178 and left the country at 12.30 am LK time.
The President and the Sri Lankan delegation is set to attend the “Future of Asia-28” conference, which will be held in Tokyo from May 25 to 26.
Colombo (LNW): The prices of laboratory tests for dengue, including dengue antigen testing and full blood count have risen, days after the health authorities warned of the emergence of a potential dengue epidemic in Sri Lanka.
Local news aggregators claim that the price of a dengue antigen test has soared up to about Rs. 1,200, and the price of a full blood count test, Rs. 400.
The situation may end up in people being reluctant to go for blood tests amidst the growing dengue crisis in the country, health officials warned.
Colombo (LNW): The entrance fees to Botanical gardens have been increased via a gazette notification issued by Tourism Minister Harin Fernando.
Accordingly, the entrance fee for local visitors will rise to Rs. 200 from Rs. 100, and for foreigners, to Rs. 3,000 from Rs. 2,000, per head.
The revision will be in effect from July 2023.
The revision has been made by the Minister under paragraph (c) of Sub section (1) of Section (3) of the Botanic Ordinance No. 31 of 1928, amended by Act No. 32 of 1973.
Colombo (LNW): Faced with a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis, Sri Lanka called off an ill-conceived national experiment in organic agriculture in the latter part of 2022 is now experiencing the cascade effect imposing a nationwide chemical fertilizer ban ordering the country’s 2 million farmers to go organic back for agriculture as tea and rubber crops dip in 1Q 2023.
The country’s key agriculture crops tea, rubber and coconut have suffered contraction in the first quarter of this year in comparison to the corresponding period of 2022 reaffirming the continuous damage caused by the unprecedented policy of banning chemical fertilizer by the former ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
As per provisional data released by the Central Bank last week, in the first quarter of 2023 tea crop was down by 6.5% to 59.2 million kilos. Rubber production was down by 2.5% to 18.7 million kilos. Coconut production was down by 5.6% to 790.3 million nuts.
CBSL said the contraction “can be largely attributable to the lag effect of shortages of required fertilizer. “It said coconut production drop reflects the lag effects of dry weather conditions that prevailed during the corresponding quarter of 2022.
The negative start overall and continuity of decline in output for tea and rubber (coconut crop hit a record last year) have caused concern within the agriculture industry.
Analysts warned that the outcome makes economic recovery more challenging this year. The broader agriculture activities in 2022 contracted by 4.6% in 2022 in value-added terms, compared to the growth of 0.9% in 2021.
In terms of exports, the value of tea shipments in the 1Q of 2023 were up 9.6% to $ 314.3 million on account of favourable prices. Rubber exports however were down by 26% to $ 10.8 million and coconut exports were down by 28% to $ 75.8 million. Sri Lanka’s overall exports were down by 8% to $ 3 billion in 1Q of 2023.
Last year tea production dipped by 16% largely due to the lagged effect of acute shortages of fertilizers and agrochemicals domestically.
Production of high, medium, and low grown tea, which contributed to around 22%, 16%, and 62% of the total production, respectively, declined by 13.8%, 21.2%, and 15.4%, respectively, in 2022.
The average yield in the smallholder sector decreased to 1,193 kilograms per hectare, compared to 1,414 kilograms per hectare reported in 2021, registering a year-on-year decline of 15.6% in average yield.
Rubber production too suffered its second consecutive decline in 2022 by 7.8% to 70.9 million kilograms, largely driven by the combined effect of adverse weather conditions that prevailed in rubber growing areas, fertilizer shortages, and the spread of the Pestalotiopsis disease.
PMD: In a significant move to address Sri Lanka’s fuel supply challenges, a contract agreement was signed with Sinopec, a leading international petroleum company. The agreement, signed May (22), marks a crucial step in ensuring a steady and uninterrupted fuel supply for the nation.
The signing ceremony took place at the Presidential Secretariat, with representatives from both Sri Lanka and Sinopec in attendance.
Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy Mr. M.P.D.U.K. Mapa Pathirana and Mr. Chen Chengmin, Managing Director of Fuel Production and Marketing Department of Sinopec Company, signed the agreement in front of the President.
On the Sri Lanka side, the Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy, the Chairman & Managing Director of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, and the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited participated. From Sinopec, representatives from Sinopec Fuel Oil Lanka (Private) Limited, Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales Co. Ltd (People’s Republic of China), and Sinopec Fuel Oil (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. were present to formalize the agreement.
In response to the on-going foreign exchange crisis in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Power and Energy has taken this decisive action to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply to consumers. With the inability to provide sufficient foreign exchange for fuel shipments, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) faced significant challenges.
To tackle this issue, the Ministry explored various strategies and one of them involved inviting Expression of Interests (EOIs) from reputable petroleum companies established in producing countries. The goal was to import, store, distribute, and sell Petroleum Products in predetermined Distribution Dealer operated Networks in Sri Lanka. The Cabinet of Ministers approved this initiative.
One of the key requirements for new retail suppliers entering the market was their ability to secure forex requirements without depending on the domestic banking sector. It was mandated that these companies source their own funds for fuel procurement through foreign sources, at least during the initial one-year period of operation.
After receiving EOIs, the companies that were shortlisted were invited to submit detailed proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) document. The Cabinet Appointed Special Committee (CASC) and the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) thoroughly scrutinized the proposals and recommended awarding contracts to the following companies, subject to negotiations:
M/s Sinopec Fuel Oil Lanka (Private) Limited, F5, Hambantota Maritime Center, Mirijjawila, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
M/s United Petroleum Pty Ltd, 600 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
M/s RM Parks, 1061 N. Main St, Porterville, CA 93257, USA, in collaboration with Shell PLC
The Cabinet of Ministers, considering the recommendations made by the CASC and the Committee Appointed by the Cabinet, granted approval to award the contracts to the selected suppliers.
Sinopec, along with its affiliated companies, is set to commence operations in Sri Lanka within 45 days following the issuance of the license. This development brings hope for a more stable and reliable fuel supply, boosting the country’s energy sector and providing assurance to consumers.
Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, State Ministers D.V. Chanaka, Indika Anuruddha, Shehan Semasingha, President’s Senior Advisor on National Security and Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and representatives of Sinopec Oil Lanka Pvt. Ltd, Sinopec China Pvt Ltd and Sinopec Singapore Pvt Ltd were present on this occasion.
Colombo (LNW): The overall headline inflation has dropped to 33.6 per cent in April 2023, revealed the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) measured by the Department of Census and Statistics.
The inflation recorded for April 2023 has dropped in comparison to the 49.2 per cent recorded in the predecessor month.
Meanwhile, food inflation has also dropped to 27.1 per cent in April from the 42.3 per cent recorded in the month earlier.
Powered by Microsoft Technology, DP Education aims to upskill and create a million young coders and reduce national unemployment
Colombo, Sri Lanka – May 23, 2023 – Microsoft Sri Lanka and DP Education, the education arm of the Dhammika and Priscilla Perera Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently to empower the nation’s youth in digital literacy, knowledge to harness the power of technology, especially 21st century tech skills and secure pathways to a brighter future. With Sri Lanka increasingly advancing towards a digital economy where comprehension of STREAM, coding and digital skills would be imperative, there is a critical window of opportunity for Sri Lankan youth entering the workforce over the next decade.
The MoU being exchanged by Harsha Randeny, Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives, and Dhammika Perera, Chairman and Founder, DP Education.
The MoU was signed by Dhammika Perera, Chairman and Founder, DP Education and Harsha Randeny, Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives in the presence of representatives from Microsoft and DP Education.
Harsha Randeny, Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives, and Dhammika Perera, Chairman and Founder, DP Education signing the MoU.
Driven by a mission to ensure students island wide receive an opportunity to learn AI, coding, robotics and computer programming free of charge, DP Education commissioned its project to the DP Education AI, Coding and Robotics Campus recently.
“Coding is the new language of the world, all including girls, should learn how to code and be part of the digital world. DP Education Coding School will produce one million Sri Lankan coders to build and drive the digital economy of Sri Lanka,” said Dhammika Perera, Chairman and Founder, DP Education.
Within the next three years, DP Education aims to establish 331 coding schools and robotics campuses in all Divisional Secretariats across the country enabling over 165,000 students the opportunity to learn AI, coding, robotics and computer programming free of charge. Centres will be equipped with over seven thousand computers and in addition, every location will be equipped with educational robots to enhance STREAM learning.
Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Accordingly, Microsoft has collaborated with the initiative to provide tech support and help to bridge the gap between the students and the DP Foundation as they rollout their programs island wide. Thereby connecting students to the courses and materials, bolstering their digital skills, and supporting the creation of a skilled workforce able to compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Microsoft 365 A1, the technology being offered to DP Education, includes a category of tools designed to help improve learning outcomes with actionable insights and enable the creation of an intelligent environment such as collaborative classrooms where educators can be connected wherever they are when delivering courses, and most importantly, to remain committed in offering an innovative learning experience to students. DP Education provides courses in all three languages to students from ages 3 years upwards. With the use of industry standard software and student centred solutions such as Microsoft 365 A1, it ensures students utilize the power of educational technologies that go beyond the traditional classroom and are prepared for the future world where they are equipped with vital skills that employers prioritize and will be required of future jobs.
Unlocking student potential with the provision of education technology free of charge will help upskill youth and citizens, strengthening their tech knowledge and ensuring they have the tools needed, preparing them for the future of work in an ever-changing world, while contributing to reducing unemployment in the country.
Harsha Randeny, Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives said, “We are delighted to collaborate with DP Education on upskilling the youth of our country. The recently launched Microsoft Work Trend Index Annual Report for 2023 shows employers will be prioritizing a workforce with an aptitude for AI. It is imperative that we prepare our youth for the future of work by equipping them with the right skills the future workforce would expect. With our technology, we humbly aim to empower DP Education in fulfilling its ambition to produce one million young coders by democratizing digital education for all children of this country”.
Harsha Randeny, Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives, and Dhammika Perera, Chairman and Founder, DP Education with representatives from Microsoft Sri Lanka, and Dhammika and Priscilla Perera Foundation at the signing of the MoU.
In furthering youth education, growing their digital confidence, and increasing their employment opportunities, Microsoft will look towards supporting DP Education in promoting an inclusive culture which could help to produce half a million young girl coders in the future. Opportunities such as these for the Girl Child are promising, and Sri Lanka has made some progress regarding the same, as observed by the increase of the Female Labor Force Participation Rate from 31.8% in 2021 to 32.1% in 2022. While there has been improvement, there is no doubt that greater growth and visibility is essential. With the requirement of skills such as Analytical Judgement and Flexibility to rapidly adjust to the integration of AI in the workflow being on the rise, young coders island wide have the opportunity to prepare for the future and play an active role in the next transformational work pattern.
Over 20 DP Education AI, Coding and Robotic Campus centres are currently open all seven days of the week and available for students to visit as required. In addition, the Centres are supported by teachers and center coordinators to assist learners to maximize their STREAM learning potential.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the Palestinians have been deprived of all their political, social and cultural liberties for a period of 75 years and that he will continue to support the struggle to win their rights.
The Opposition Leader stated that the Palestinians have lost a lot, which is a serious tragedy, and added that what is happening there is a grave human tragedy. Pointing out that we all are responsible as representatives of the international community when tens of thousands of Palestinians suffer, he also said that Palestine should be given legal recognition as a nation state.
The Opposition Leader made these remarks at the Commemoration of the Nakba Day held on 22nd May 2023 at the Lakshman Kadiragamae Institute, organized by The Embassy of the State of Palestine with the Arab Ambassadors Council.
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s apparel export earnings are likely to crash by US $1 billion this year, industry sources said, as slowing global demand hits the crisis-hit island nation.
Apparel is Sri Lanka’s largest industrial export and earned $5.95 billion in 2022, helping the country as it weathered its worst financial crisis since independence in 1948, triggered by a record reduction in foreign exchange reserves.
The country’s critical apparel sector is suffering multi-year lows in terms of exports with April performance confirming its ongoing challenge.
April saw exports down sharply by 24% to $ 318 million from a year ago and forced the performance in the first four months to decline Year on year by 17% to $ 1.5 billion. All major markets have witnessed reduction in purchases.
April 2023 exports value was the lowest in recent years (except COVID-hit 2020). The previous lowest was in 2018 April which was $ 323 million.
On a cumulative basis, exports in the first four months of 2023 were the lowest (except COVID-2020) and were below $ 1.6 billion range in 2018 and 2021.
The dip in April YoY was sharper than the 11% YoY decline in March. April also marked the fourth month of exports below $ 400 million level. Since September last year, apparel exports have been on a downward trend year on year.
Markets wise, apparel exports to the US in April decreased by 25.5% to $129 million, while the EU (excluding UK) dipped sharply by 27.53% to $ 90 million. Exports to the UK were down by 26.7% to $ 45.8 million and to other countries by 9% to $ 53 million.
In terms of performance in the first four months of 2023, overall exports to the USA decreased by 22.67% to $ 599 million, to the EU (excluding UK) were down by 16.7% to $ 434 million and to the UK by 14.3% to $ 213.6 million. Exports to other countries declined by 4% to $ 254 million.
Apart from higher inventories in markets, industry analysts said Sri Lanka has also become expensive for apparel sourcing given recent cost overruns. “Customers are asking for price reduction as countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt and African countries are far cheaper,” they claimed.
Future orders appear slim as well. Imports of textiles in the first quarter of 2023 are down by 31% to $ 604.6 million. In the first half of last year (January to June) imports grew by 16% to $ 1.68 billion before finishing the year flat at $ 3 billion.
