World rubber leaders gather in Colombo for summit

Colombo (News1st) - The World Rubber Summit 2018 organized by the International Rubber Study Group together with the Ministry of Plantation Industry began in Colombo on Monday (May 7th).The theme of the World Rubber Summit 2018 is "Breaking barriers towards sustainable growth" Over the last several years the summit was held in Singapore, and this is the first time it is held outside Singapore. The Summit provides an opportunity for the global rubber industry to discuss the current challenges the industry is facing and discuss future opportunities. A large number of global industry professionals, experts and producers attended the summit today, providing an opportunity for Sri Lankan rubber industry stakeholders to engage with the global rubber community. The summit will also serve as a platform to find new foreign markets and expand the existing markets for natural rubber and finished products of Sri Lanka. Several top officials of the International Rubber Study Group addressed the summit. The keynote speech of the opening ceremony was delivered by Minister of Plantation Industries, Navin Dissanayake. Dissanayake noted that people suffering from poverty will not be happy listening to policy statements which keep them poor while achieving sustainable goals. He added that the ordinary man perceives sustainability in a way that is related to his own environment and livelihood needs. According to the 2017 Annual report of the Central Bank, rubber exports brought in a revenue of 38.9 million US Dollars. The Annual Report shows Rubber production grew by 5.1 percent to 83.1 million kilogrammes in 2017, from 79.1 million kilogrammes recorded in 2016.