12 Jul 2013 ... Ayurveda Industry praises DoC for securing int'l delegates ... a stall at Ayurveda
2013 Indigenous Healthcare Exhibition & Trade Fair in BMICH, ...
PRESS COMMUNIQUE – MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY & COMMERCE, SRI LANKA – JULY 12, 2013
‘Ayurveda surging, exports up by 94%’ - Rishad Ayurveda Industry praises DoC for securing int’l delegates Century old top Indian Ayurveda firm mulling Lanka entry
FILE>12JUL1.jpg Basil Rajapaksa (Minister of Economic Development) plays with a live ‘green vine snake’ demoed at a stall at Ayurveda 2013 Indigenous Healthcare Exhibition & Trade Fair in BMICH, Colombo on 12 July as Rishad Bathiudeen (Minister of Industry and Commerce-far right) and other officials looks on.
[MORE PICS AFTER TEXT] Lanka’s surging tourism numbers and rising global demand of herbal products have resulted in an Ayurveda revenue boom in Sri Lanka. “The practice of Ayurveda uses almost local plants and species, rarely using any imports and therefore does not affect our imports bill or trade gap significantly. Our 2012 Ayurveda exports rose by a strong 95% in comparison to 2010 Ayurveda export volumes” revealed Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka on 12 July in Colombo. Minister Bathiudeen was addressing the inauguration event of international Ayurveda 2013 exhibition, the latest in the annual series of Indigenous Healthcare Exhibition & Trade Fair held annually in Colombo. Also present during the occasion were Salinda Dissanayake (Minister of Indigenous Medicine) and Pandu Bandaranayake (Deputy Minister of Indigenous Medicine). The inauguration of the event was jointly performed by Basil Rajapaksa (Minister of Economic Development) with Ministers Bathiudeen, Dissanayake and Deputy Minister Bandaranayake. The international exhibition and symposium held at BMICH Colombo, is
aimed at popularizing and creating a demand for the Ayurveda and Indigenous medical products and services in Sri Lanka and abroad. It is jointly organised by National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and Ministry of Indigenous Medicine, with direct support from Minister Bathiudeen’s Industry and Commerce Ministry, and also SL Gem & Jewellery Authority, the Export development Board under Minister Bathiudeen, SL Conventions Bureau and SL Tourism Promotion Bureau, thereby creating the largest gathering of its kind. The show will close on 14 July. Exhibitors and resource personnel from India, China, Thailand, France, Germany and South Africa are taking part in this year’s fair. “Ayurveda practice uses almost local plants and species, rarely using any imports and therefore does not affect our imports bill or trade gap significantly. On the other hand our Ayurveda product exports show a positive trend. Our total “medicament exports” in all categories in 2012, stood at $ 3.5 Million, increasing by 3.8% over 2011 exports. We exported $ 260,000, of ‘Ayurveda only products’ in 2012. This is a strong 95% increase, in comparison to 2010 Ayurveda exports. The leading buyers of our herbal exports in 2012 were Australia, Maldives, Japan, India and Albania” Minister Bathiudeen said, and added: “Also, surging tourism in Sri Lanka, thanks to the committed vision of, HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is becoming a growth driver for Sri Lanka’s Ayurveda industry. Along with this, rising global demand for herbal alternatives, the beauty care industry, health food and beverages, Ayurveda clinics and medicinal herbs, are other related industries that show growth potential that has a positive effect on the Ayurveda industry in Sri Lanka.” The Ayurveda industry praised the Department of Commerce under Minister Bathiudeen for promptly sourcing international delegates and resources persons for Ayurveda 2013. “We praise PD Fernando, the Director General Commerce and his Department of Commerce under Minister Bathiudeen for the hard work in securing international delegates and resource persons for this event” said Thilak Godamanne, (Chairman - Ayurveda Expo Steering Committee), addressing the event. “As a result, today we have Ayurveda delegations not only from India, China and Thailand, but even from France, Germany and South Africa” Godamanne added. A top Indian Ayurveda medicine manufacturer is upbeat on prospects in Sri Lanka. “We have been taking part in this expo since 2007. We have been also getting excellent responses from Lankan buyers and doctors” said Shashank Sandu, Director of Sandu Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mumbai. “Presently, we are only importing and distributing our products in Sri Lanka but also ready to explore joint ventures with suitable local partners on Ayurvedic formulations and specially in Ayurvedic medicinal plantations projects. ‘Medicinal plantations’, since we see Sri Lanka as a biodiversity hotspot with strong potential to become a part of our raw material supply chain” added Sandu, whose 100 year-long historic Mumbai based Sandu Pharmaceuticals Ltd (SPL) also has health spas and resorts under it, among other ventures, reported $ 16.6 Mn turnover in 2012 (only for pharmaceutical revenues). SPL is also an ISO 9001:2000 certified firm.
FILE> 12JUL2.jpg Basil Rajapaksa (Minister of Economic Development), Rishad Bathiudeen (Minister of Industry and Commerce-second from left), and Salinda Dissanayake (Minister of Indigenous Medicine-far left) inspect instruments used in rural Ayurvedic formulations at Ayurveda 2013 Indigenous Healthcare Exhibition & Trade Fair in BMICH, Colombo on 12 July.
FILE> 12JUL3.jpg Rishad Bathiudeen (Minister of Industry and Commerce) addresses the Ayurveda 2013 Indigenous Healthcare Exhibition & Trade Fair at BMICH on 12 July.
CONCLUDED Media -MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY & COMMERCE – 112300733
