The National Gem and Jewellery Authority has planned to establish an International Gem and Jewellery Centre with the aim of making Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery industry more popular internationally, said Naveen Sooriyarachchi, Chairman of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority.
Sri Lanka’s largest gem and jewellery exhibition “Gem Sri Lanka – 2025” ends today at the Cinnamon Beach Hotel in Bentota. Sooriyarachchi said that this International Gem and Jewellery Centre will be equipped with all the facilities including gem and jewellery showrooms and shops, gem museums, laboratory services required to test the quality of gems and jewellery, freight transport services and a centre that provides facilities for export activities.
The Chairman also said that this valuable sector has suffered a major setback due to a number of existing problems, including the unstable and irregular tax policies currently in place in Sri Lanka. The event was held under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the participation of Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti. Organized for the second time by the China Fort Gem and Jewellery Trade Association (CGJTA) with the support of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority and the Export Development Board, this exhibition was initiated last year and is planned to be held annually.
The three-day exhibition featured 103 booths and attracted a number of leading international buyers from the US, Europe, Russia and China. The exhibition, which aimed to establish Sri Lanka as a global gem hub and increase gem and jewellery export earnings, is a major platform for international buyers and local gem traders. The President and the Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, who inaugurated the Gem Sri Lanka – 2025 Gem and Jewellery Exhibition, inspected the booths and had cordial discussions with the gem traders present on the issues facing the gem industry.
China Fort Gem and Jewellery Association (CGJTA) President Marjan Falil, Gem Sri Lanka Chairman Hilmi Kassim, ambassadors, gem businessmen, gem manufacturers, local and foreign buyers and a large number of others participated.
Fizel Jabir