Economy & Growth

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce concludes high-level economic engagements in Mumbai

To catalyse bilateral trade and investment and drive regional economic integration, the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai facilitated a series of high-level strategic engagements between The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and leading Indian commercial institutions on 13 and 14 May.

The delegation from The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was led by Chairman Krishan Balendra, and comprised a distinguished group of Sri Lankan industry leaders from Hirdaramani Group, Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Ltd., Sierra Cables PLC, A. Baur & Co. Ltd., Jetwing Travels Ltd., Ceylon Biscuits Ltd., Hayleys PLC, Vidullanka PLC, MAS India Clothing Ltd., Tudawe Brothers Ltd., David Pieris Holdings Ltd., Bank of Ceylon, Aitken Spence PLC, LTL Holdings Ltd., and Orel IT Ltd.

On 13 May, The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce jointly hosted the ‘India–Sri Lanka Business Forum: Partnering in Sri Lanka’s Growth and Investment’ and an exclusive CEO interaction in Mumbai. The forum convened senior Government officials, policymakers, and industry leaders from both countries.

These included, among others, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Mahishini Colonne, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai Priyanga Wickramasinghe, Senior Economic Adviser to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, Government of Maharashtra Secretary – Protocol, FDI, Diaspora and Outreach and Chief of Protocol Rajesh Ravindra Gawande, CII Western Region Subcommittee on International Trade and Investment Co-Chairman and Polycab India Ltd., Chief Executive Officer Anurag Agarwal; CII Western Region Subcommittee on Tourism and Hospitality Chairman and Kamat Hotels India Ltd., Executive Director Vishal Kamat, and The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Secretary General and CEO Shiran Fernando.

Conversations centred on accelerating cross-border cooperation across high-priority sectors, including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy, and digital transformation.

On 14 May, the delegation engaged in productive business-to-business (B2B) sessions with the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) of Commerce and Industry, culminating in the formal renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and IMC.

The delegation also participated in an interactive session hosted by the World Trade Centre (WTC) Mumbai and the All India Association of Industries (AIAI).

The two-day mission concluded with a robust exchange of views cementing a strong foundation for sustained bilateral collaboration and paving the way for a new era of industrial synergy between Colombo and Mumbai.