The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) has set up a National Packaging Centre (NPC) at its premises to support the growth of the local manufacturing industry.
A packaging design display unit has also been set up to showcase innovative packaging designed locally by using indigenous packing material.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President, A.R. Deshapriya, Secretary of the Ministry of Industries, Mrs. Thilaka Jayasundara and Board of Directors of the EDB and NPC, Chairman of the EDB, Dr. Kingsley Bernard, Additional Secretary, Trust Area Development, Ministry of Industries Chaminda Pathiraja and Acting Director General Mrs. Malini Baddegama were present at the launch last week.
The objective is to enhance the value of export products through the use of local packaging solutions and to minimise post-harvest losses.
The absence of an independent third-party packaging performance certification authority has affected the reliability of many of the packaging forms that are locally made, an EDB official said.
The NPC, a collaboration between the EDB and the packaging industry stakeholders of Sri Lanka would help to develop and promote the packaging industry in Sri Lanka.
Research on the development of appropriate packaging systems with the use of indigenous packaging materials which could perhaps be more eco-friendly, are virtually non-existent, despite of having number of private and public agencies in designing and manufacturing of promotional packaging material.
Packaging in Sri Lanka was traditionally seen as an inevitable cost factor was seldom given a proper and active attention in production, marketing and distribution in terms of domestic and export trade.
As a result, planning and development of packaging was often delegated to low level of importance in general. The packaging industry in Sri Lanka operates in a virtual seller’s market.
The competitiveness of the industry is often affected due to the high cost of raw materials, inadequate quality of raw materials and finished packages, low productivity, high waste generation and some environmental problems associated with packaging. The bulk of Sri Lankan traditional exports are still in the low value-added forms.
Inadequate packaging has also been identified as a major cause of postharvest losses.