FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – The Export Development Board (EDB) of Sri Lanka has announced its intention to enhance testing and certification facilities throughout the nation in order to alleviate challenges encountered by the export sector.
Currently, the majority of testing services are concentrated in Colombo, which presents significant difficulties for exporters located in the Northern, Eastern, and Southern regions, as highlighted by EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe during a recent meeting.
The EDB suggests that decentralization of testing facilities can be achieved by upgrading provincial government laboratories, optimizing the use of currently underused testing sites, fostering public-private partnerships, and streamlining the certification process with digital solutions.
To align the testing and certification needs of exporters with the capabilities and strategies of existing service providers, the EDB is mapping these requirements following discussions with various stakeholders, including government agencies, testing labs, certification authorities, and exporters.
“We will engage with higher authorities to explore more practical and effective solutions that will better serve the exporter community across the island,” the trade body stated.
Furthermore, it emphasized the necessity for government regulatory agencies and laboratory networks to collaborate closely in order to support the national export initiative.
