Collectively the global palm oil market’s value is projected to expand continually from US$ 65.7 billion up to US$ 92.8 billion by the year 2021. 

The 2018 budget proposals presented in parliament on November 9, 2017 have correctly recognized the importance of good quality teachers for improving education in the country. The budget has allocated Rs.50 million to increase the allowance given to

The remarkable growth of China and India has shifted the centre of the world economy towards Asia. However, the 2008 global financial crisis exposed vulnerabilities in the export-led model of Asia’s two economic giants. 

US naval officer and strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan’s advice in 1890 for the US to push outwards to rule the oceans is still heeded by US maritime forces in the present day. 

The anti-alcohol lobby groups form powerful fronts across global markets and their hallowed cause for enhanced public policy on health and safety and combating abuse are recognized universally. In contrast to developed markets, Sri Lanka’s alco

Life in organisations is like being at sea: sometimes calm, frequently choppy and occasionally sick-making! The changes can come thick and fast as managers and company executives search for every possible improvement in performance. And the speed of

That is a loose translation of what the 12th century French theologian Alain de Lille said about the Eternal City. We, in current Sri Lanka, too have a similar sentiment but hundred and eighty degrees removed from what de Lille quoted.

Raghuveer Sing Chaudhary found employment as a delivery boy with Amazon. Having had to give up higher education due to poverty, the young man soon realized that when he wanted a refreshing cup of tea hygienically made at the end of a hard day’s

In his riposte to me by Rohan Fernando, former Chairman of the TEA, in Mirror Business on November 2, I’m gratified to see Fernando has moderated the TEA’s tone: no more talk of missing backbones and “inefficient protectionist eleme

The rising popularity of chicken meat as a daily staple in most Sri Lankan diets has been well underway over recent decades with the country projected to consume as much as 189,690 metric tonnes (MT) of chicken, projecting an annual growth rate of 3

Anjana Reddy named as one of the top 30 e-commerce and retail entrepreneurs in the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for Asia 2017 is founder of Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd (USPL), which owns the brands Collectabillia, Imara and Wrogn. She is a go-gette

Finance State Minister Eran Wickramaratne’s comments that the government will cut red tape in issuing visas to fill critical skill gaps is a welcome development as it will help Sri Lankan businesses grow faster, win bigger contracts and employ

I was wrong to think that financial technology (fintech) would automatically reduce financing gaps. Blockchain, as well as other applications for fintech, has the potential to solve lots of problems.

Indrani is a 41-year-old cinnamon oil producer living in Meetiyagoda, Ambalangoda in the Galle District, which is well-known for cinnamon production. She is a single mother and entrepreneur, owning a cinnamon oil distillery unit. Prior to this, she h

I was astonished to read claims attributed to Rohan Fernando and Jayantha Karunaratne, the past and present Chairmen, respectively, of the Tea Exporters’ Association (TEA), in ‘Mirror Business’ of October 23. 

In recent news, Finance State Minister Eran Wickramaratne had mentioned about changing the Sri Lankan immigration laws to let information communication technology (ICT) workers migrate to Sri Lanka easily. 

China’s National Party Congress, the sixth since modern China started to take shape in 1992, could mark a break from the past three leadership changeover cycles. Specifically, it could result in an extension of President Xi Jinping’s cont

Nowadays, wherever we look at, we see strikes and agitations that disrupt people’s day-to-day activities causing a considerable economic cost, which is in my opinion, not widely discussed. It is accepted all over the world that every citizen in

Of the over two billion unbanked adults in the world, about half live in developing Asia, where typically women and self-employed are excluded from the financial system.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – a web of intercontinental road, rail and port links – is a hot topic in Sri Lanka. The debate has focused on the implications of the Hambantota port and Colombo International Financial City f

A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency. What is so special about it is that it uses cryptography to make its transactions secure. It has no physical form and exists only in a computer network. It has no intrinsic value. There are a few int

Many articles have been written by economists and other experts analysing Sri Lanka’s economic performance in recent times and drawing comparisons to the performance during the last regime. As a layman, I thought of attempting to make an object

The 2017 grade five scholarship exam results were released in early October, with 356,728 candidates sitting for the exam across Sri Lanka. As usual, the details of the top scorers were highlighted in the media. But,

The US Federal Reserve is raising interest rates in response to improving US economic conditions. While the Asian policymakers grapple with the ramifications of rising US interest rates on the stability of their financial systems, they may soon find

According to Ruchir Sharma, the author of ‘Rise and Fall of Nations’, there are 10 most important things to look for whether a country is rising or falling: one of them being the country’s talent pool - i.e. is the manpower pool gro

At the time of Renaissance, a not-so-tall statue of a brave young underdog warrior, David, standing just over five metres tall and weighing six tonnes, mesmerised the world. This masterpiece was set into stone with a hammer and chisel by Michelangelo

Sometimes you’re going to find that leading people is a joy: you admire how everyone pulls together to scale new heights of performance and teamwork. At other times, however, leading people can seem like an uphill battle as they falter and fail

With the arrival of monsoon rains, Sri Lanka is just seeing the end of the drought that impaired many parts of the country. However, its negative effects continue to be felt by the affected communities. Unfortunately, droughts are not the only natura

Sri Lanka experienced strong growth at the end of its 26-year conflict. This was to be expected as the post-war reconstruction tends to bring new hope and energy to a country.

The rice bowl of Sri Lanka is experiencing the worst drought of the past 40 years. Expectations of the Agriculture Department are that this year would yield the lowest paddy harvest in over 10 years. If one were to journey through the Polonnaruwa Dis