As bilateral trade recorded a huge 65 percent surge, the non-European Union nation Switzerland has called on Sri Lanka to use its historic GSP facility to boost Sri Lankan exports to the Swiss market further.
During a recent meeting with the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Colombo, Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn, said that Sri Lankan exporters should strive to exploit Switzerland's own Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) facility.
"Bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Switzerland shows a strong short term growth. Still that could be way below real potentials," Ambassador Walker-Nederkoorn noted.
The Ambassador, pointing out that Switzerland is not a part of the European Union and has implemented its own GSP since 1971, said that Sri Lanka is still a beneficiary of a pioneering GSP facility that came in to being at the same time as the EU GSP.
"Sri Lankan exporters should strive to exploit this facility. Switzerland's economy has a well-developed service sector such as financial services. Still, Switzerland can take in merchandise products and there is a demand. Exploiting our GSP can help boost your exports and also increase total bilateral trade. Swiss manufacturing industry specializes in high-technology and production," he said.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)'s the Division of International Trade in Goods and Services and Commodities, the Swiss GSP facility that began in 1971, allows many Sri Lankan products to be exported totally tariff free to the Swiss market.
Among them are Sri Lankan clothes and some textiles, coconuts and desiccated coconuts, footwear, headgear, electrical machinery, certain fruits, tropical fruits and spices, live ornamental fish, certain types of freshwater fish, types of cut flowers and foliage, tomatoes, onions and garlic, cabbages and cauliflower, types of beans, sweet corn, chick peas and kidney beans, ginger, and even mustard and turmeric.
According to the Department of Commerce, overall bilateral trade between Switzerland and Sri Lanka leaped by 65 percent to $ 377 million in 2016 (from 2015's $ 229 million). Sri Lanka's exports to Switzerland last year was around $ 102 Million, mostly unchanged from 2015's $ 101 Million.
