30 November 2024 03:31 am Views - 7
By Nuzla Rizkiya
The German Import Promotion Desk (IPD) has scheduled its next sourcing mission in Sri Lanka in January next year, to identify small-scale food production companies, which have the potential to break into the European market.
The missions conducted on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development will help uplift the export potential of several Sri Lankan small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in an effort to improve the sustainable trade relationships between the two nations.
The Export Development Board (EDB) stated that it would coordinate as the main collaborating partner in Sri Lanka, to assist the German IPD to identify the potential businesses that could take part in the programme.
“The IPD will assist the companies in Sri Lanka to enter the European market, so that they are enabled to increase their innovative capacities, generate added value and improve their competitive positioning internationally,” the EDB stated in a notice to the public.
Accordingly, the EDB has invited applications from the eligible businesses to take part in the programme. Applications are to be downloaded from the EDB website and submitted by December 6, 2024.
To qualify, the eligible companies must be 100 percent Sri Lankan-owned, be proprietors of their own processing facilities and meet the minimum food safety certifications such as the HACCP or ISO 22000 in their food productions.
Moreover, the companies should have limited market presence in Europe and must also demonstrate readiness to participate in European trade fairs.
The mission is specifically targeted at businesses involved in spices, coconut-based products and cosmetics, according to the EDB notice.
Additionally, the companies producing food items based on nuts and sweeteners, processed food, vegetables and organic or fair-trade certified artisanal tea and coffee, are invited to take part in the programme.
The IPD is a programme implemented by the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services and its development agency sequa gGmbH to help the country form international trade relationships between the European importers and potential export companies located in some of its selected partner countries.