Top level South African business delegation due next week
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- Created on Wednesday, 29 August 2012 13:00
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A high ranking South African business delegation comprising 30 leading businessmen will arrive in Sri Lanka next week for a four day visit from 5th to 8th September. The members belong to the Progressive Business Forum of African National Congress.
Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishard Bathiuddeen said that the delegation will be led by South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Hlengiwe Mkhize. He said that the visit will help further strengthen current trade levels which amounts to 65 Million U.S.Dollars.
The Minister said that the delegation will include representatives from top South African industry and business sectors such as mining, agriculture, tourism, logistics, automotives, minerals and diamonds, chemicals, finance and outsourcing.
South Africa has become the most important trading partner for Sri Lanka in the Southern African region. In 2011, bilateral trade between both countries topped 65.49 million U.S.Dollars.
The Ministry of Commerce said that last July, a top Sri Lankan business delegation visited South Africa, as part of a joint initiative of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Pretoria and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), to take part at the SAITEX 2012 International Trade fair in Midrand, which featured a special Sri Lankan pavilion.
This delegation, the Ministry said consisted representatives from nine companies of various sectors, which included porcelain tableware, Ceylon black tea, green tea, organic tea, spices, desiccated coconut, rubber-based value-added products such as rubber tyres, floor covering, electrical cables, electrical switches, sockets, and enclosures, and automobile components such as airbag sensor switches and seat belt sensor switches.
During SAITEX the Sri Lankan High Commission in Pretoria also arranged individual business to business meetings at the High Commission in Pretoria and Johannesburg.(niz)
