Business

Sri Lanka’s crisis seen as highlighting lessons from Greece

Published

4 years ago

2022/10/4

‘In some of the key metrics, such as debt/GDP, fiscal and current account deficit, you can see a lot of similarities between the crisis in Greece and that in Sri Lanka, which also has a lot to do with the actual incidents of the crisis, including accumulating of early warning signals and the failure to see the signals, rising deficits and debt to around 10% of GDP and triple deficits in 2009, in the case of Greece, former Finance Minister of Greece, Dr. George Papaconstantinou said at a Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID)-initiated webinar recently.

‘The deeper causes behind the crisis was a combination of clientelism, a dysfunctional political system and weak institutions that could not act as a counterbalance to check political decision-making, Dr. Papaconstantinou added.

A SLID press release said: ‘The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors recently held a webinar titled Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis: Lessons from Greece, featuring Dr George Papaconstantinou, the former Finance Minister of Greece. The session drew several pertinent lessons from Greece’s own experience through its tumultuous period of unprecedented economic crisis in 2009-2018 and its road to recovery. The session was moderated by Faizal Salieh, chairman of SLID. It had a 30-minute keynote speech by Dr Papaconstantinou followed by a 30-minute Q & A discussion.

‘Dr Papaconstantinou in his keynote said; “No two crises are the same. but there are many similarities such as warning signals, incidents, and unfortunately the same long and painful recovery periods.” He spoke about the key learnings from the Greek experience, critical actions that are required from a political and economic sense, the roles of business, government, and citizens in trying to find right solutions, short term quick fixes vs long term sustainability, and gave some broad recommendations that can be considered as Sri Lanka moves forward.

‘Greece had three bail outs, by far the biggest in any country. Unsustainable debt levels, excessive public expenditure, massive tax evasion, huge credit expansion and wages outstripping productivity gains contributed to the decline in the economy’s competitiveness.

‘He said that the Greek crisis was longer than it should have been due to mistakes that were made which need to be avoided in Sri Lanka, and that it is important to focus on the logic of the IMF bailout which is to provide funds until Sri Lanka regains access to international financial markets. In order to continue getting these funds, a combination of fiscal consolidation, monetary and exchange rate policies, and reforms in product, labour, and financial markets must be implemented which can be extremely unpleasant. He pointed out that fiscal consolidation would lead to recession but would eventually restore investor confidence and enable the return of long-term investors. He stressed the importance of long-term investors over the short-term opportunity-seekers for the economy’s long-term sustainability.’

‘Dr. Papaconstantinou cautioned that the country risk immediately spilled over to the corporate sector and had stayed over a long period in Greece, and they had a hard time tapping into international markets and had to grapple with issues such as acute forex shortages, and flight of highly skilled human capital that was essential for rebuilding the economy. He said the Greek economy was still carrying the cost of lost human talent.

“A lesson that we learnt was that one should not delay taking painful decisions, which is important for politics as well, because the longer it waits the tougher it becomes.” He stressed the need to move fast on the restructuring of debt. “Delay entails costs and typically, time is not in your favour. There is also a trade-off between short and long-term transformation with IMF asking for a lot of short-term measures which makes it harder to have long-term reforms. It is important to push for long-term transformation and growth potential of the country. In the private sector, when the bubble bursts there will be many losses and very few wins,” he added. “The crisis inevitably entails political polarisation, and even good companies can go bust. That’s where the Government should step in and support them.”

‘Speaking of the role of the citizens, business, and government, he said “Crises are transformative, dramatic and tend to completely upend a society, politics and business and often go through the 5 stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining (Sri Lanka’s current stage), depression, and acceptance. Crises consume governments. It is important to keep the political climate non-toxic helping to keep the crisis duration shorter as in Portugal and Ireland and elites must also take the pain. If they are sheltered it is going to prolong the crisis. Social partners need to be part of the solution and should have a seat at the table even with IMF discussions on what needs to be done, and often IMF also gets it wrong as their recipes are not necessarily useful for every country.”

“The pain which accompanies every crisis needs to be apportioned in a socially fair manner. Everyone will suffer but the vulnerable will suffer more. If it is seen that business and political elites were carving out a secure environment, it will backfire. The government needs to be fully accountable with maximum publicity, honesty, and openness. Greece passed a law where every government expense is published on the web, if it is not, then it is not legal. Also, a realistic fiscal path needs to be determined, if not it could lead to a vicious circle and lead to economic collapse which happened in Greece. Embrace the necessary reforms whether they are public sector, product/market reforms, opening up markets, professions or reforming SOEs, and privatisation. It is important for the government to stand firmly behind these rather than as an afterthought to fiscal consolidation. Finally, it is important to get the narrative right, and recognize the reasons how you got to this situation, and who is accountable. In Greece, we blamed the IMF, the Germans for being too tough, and blamed everyone else except for ourselves, the government and the business community for making some wrong decisions like relying too much on the government and not standing on its own feet,” he concluded.

‘In response to a question from the moderator that the usual criticism levelled against IMF was that it has a “one-size-fits-all” prescription for remedy and how it was managed in Greece, Dr George explained that the IMF is now different from the Asian crisis times, “it is a different beast, they do actively try to be more understanding of the social situation and they are open to keeping a recipe of measures that is balanced and protects the vulnerable, and they are open as long as you got the data to back it up, and arguments to exchange some measures for others if you can show them that a specific measure is detrimental. At the end of the day, they have the money and therefore the veto rights, so it’s a delicate situation and they have to be convinced of your sincerity and competence. The conversation with the IMF does not finish with the signing of the agreement.”

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Business

India–Sri Lanka Business Forum highlights new momentum in trade, investment and connectivity

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/23

Thilina Walpola

Dignitaries at the India-Sri Lanka Business Forum

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), organised the India–Sri Lanka Business Forum: Partnering in Sri Lanka’s Growth and Investment and the CII – Ceylon Chamber CEOs Interaction in Mumbai on 13 May 2026. The events brought together senior government representatives, industry leaders, policymakers, and business delegates from India and Sri Lanka to deepen economic engagement and explore new avenues for cooperation across priority sectors.

The discussions reflected growing optimism about India-Sri Lanka economic relations and focused on expanding collaboration in trade, investments, connectivity, tourism, renewable energy, logistics, digital transformation, infrastructure, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology.

Participants included Mahishini Colonne, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India; Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Economic Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka; Dr Rajesh Ravindra Gawande, Secretary (Protocol, FDI, Diaspora & Outreach) and Chief of Protocol, Government of Maharashtra; Ms Priyanga Wickramasinghe, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai; Krishan Balendra, Chairperson, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Chairperson, John Keells Holdings PLC; Anurag Agarwal, Co-chairman, CII Western Region Sub-committee on International Trade & Investment and Chief Executive Officer, Polycab India Ltd; Vishal Kamat, Chairman, CII Western Region Sub-Committee on Tourism and Hospitality and Executive Director, Kamat Hotels India Ltd; Bingumal Thewarathanthti, Vice Chairperson of the Ceylon Chamber and CEO Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka, Vinod Hirdaramani – Deputy Vice Chairperson of the Ceylon Chamber and Chairman Hirdaramani Group, and Shiran Fernando, Secretary General & CEO of the Ceylon Chamber.

Welcoming the delegates, Anurag Agarwal, highlighted the growing momentum in India–Sri Lanka economic relations and the emergence of future-oriented sectors driving bilateral cooperation.

He noted that India and Sri Lanka are at an important phase of economic collaboration, where connectivity, investments, innovation, and sustainable partnerships are creating new opportunities for shared growth. He further emphasised the significant potential for deeper engagement in sectors such as renewable energy, tourism, ICT, logistics, digital services, healthcare, manufacturing, education, and infrastructure.

Business

Proposed oil palm expansion sparks economic and environmental debate

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/23

Thilina Walpola

Withanage and Kariyawasam speaking to journalists

Move to reconsider the ban on oil palm cultivation has triggered a heated debate among environmentalists, economists and plantation sector stakeholders, with critics warning that replacing rubber plantations with oil palm could weaken one of the country’s most valuable export industries while exposing the nation to long-term environmental and trade risks.

Environmental groups argue that the issue is no longer purely ecological, but a major economic policy question with implications for exports, foreign exchange earnings, rural livelihoods and Sri Lanka’s standing in international markets.

Sri Lanka banned oil palm cultivation in April 2021 through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2222/13 issued by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, citing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and threats to water resources.

However, plantation companies are now reportedly lobbying for the reversal of the ban, arguing that oil palm offers higher short-term commercial returns compared to traditional plantation crops.

Environmentalists and policy analysts, however, caution that the long-term economic costs could outweigh the immediate profits.

Hemantha Withanage of the Environmental Justice Centre said Sri Lanka risks undermining a globally competitive rubber industry in pursuit of a commodity that generates comparatively limited national value.

“Rubber remains one of Sri Lanka’s strongest industrial export sectors. Replacing rubber with oil palm would be economically shortsighted because the downstream rubber manufacturing industry generates far greater export earnings, employment and industrial value addition, he said.

Industry statistics reveal a worrying decline in the rubber sector over the past four decades. Rubber cultivation has fallen from 171,126 hectares in 1982 to around 84,000 hectares in 2024, while production has dropped from 133,200 metric tons in 1980 to approximately 69,185 metric tons last year.

Despite shrinking cultivation, the rubber sector continues to deliver significant export revenue. Sri Lanka earned nearly USD 994 million from rubber exports in 2024, while rubber-based manufactured products generated more than USD 2.5 billion in export income.

The country also imports over USD million worth of raw and processed rubber annually to sustain domestic manufacturing demand, highlighting the strategic importance of maintaining local rubber production.

Analysts warn that further reductions in rubber cultivation could increase import dependency, weaken industrial supply chains and place additional pressure on foreign exchange reserves.

By contrast, Sri Lanka’s palm oil sector contributes relatively little to export earnings. In 2025, Sri Lanka imported 38,210 metric tons of palm oil and 33,696 metric tons of coconut oil, while the value of palm oil imports in 2023 stood at approximately USD 23 million.

Critics argue that oil palm cultivation mainly benefits plantation-level profitability rather than the broader national economy.

Thilak Kariyawasam of FIAN Sri Lanka said the environmental externalities associated with oil palm could eventually translate into significant economic costs.

“The industry’s impact on water resources, soil quality and ecosystems creates hidden financial burdens for the country. Pollution control, water management and biodiversity losses all carry long-term economic consequences that are often ignored in short-term investment calculations, he said.

Environmental groups also raised concerns that Sri Lanka could face reputational risks in export markets if environmentally controversial plantation policies are pursued.

The European Union, one of Sri Lanka’s most important export destinations and the provider of GSP+ trade concessions, has tightened regulations linked to deforestation and environmental sustainability.

By Ifham Nizam

Business

Talawakelle Tea Estates achieves International Organic Certification for Great Western and Logie Teas

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/23

Thilina Walpola

(Up) The Logie Estate, factory is dedicated exclusively to organic tea production. (Down) Great Western Estate, certified for organic tea production under EU, USDA, and JAS standards

Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC has secured internationally recognised organic certification. A member of the Hayleys Plantations Sector and one of Sri Lanka’s premier Regional Plantation Companies, this milestone enables the Company to market certified organic teas under its renowned Great Western and Logie garden marks.

The certification spans three major global standards: the EU Organic Regulation of the European Union, the National Organic Program (NOP-US) of the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) for organic products. With this achievement, Talawakelle Tea Estates is now positioned to supply premium organic teas to international markets that demand the highest standards of certification, traceability, and product integrity.

“We are proud to reach this significant milestone after more than four years of dedicated effort to build a fully compliant organic cultivation and processing system that meets stringent international standards. This achievement shows the strength of our partnerships with the Tea Research Institute (TRI) and internationally qualified consultants and, most importantly, the commitment and collaboration of our estate and corporate teams. Together, we have established a robust and sustainable organic management framework that will support our long-term vision.” Talawakelle Tea Estates, Director / CEO, Nishantha Abeysinghe added.

To ensure consistent compliance with international standards, Talawakelle Tea Estates appointed dedicated full-time personnel from its estate teams and corporate sustainability division to oversee and manage every stage of the organic value chain – from cultivation to final manufacture.

The Company has also developed an end-to-end organic cultivation and processing management system covering the full value chain – from field-level practices to final manufacture – ensuring a structured and carefully monitored approach to organic tea production.

To safeguard product integrity and eliminate the risk of cross-contamination with conventional teas, the Company has designated low-risk fields exclusively for organic cultivation and dedicated the Logie factory entirely to organic tea production, minimising the risk of cross-contamination.

Following a series of rigorous audits, Talawakelle Tea Estates has secured full certification and is now set to launch its certified organic tea range globally under the prestigious Great Western and Logie garden marks names bringing together heritage and sustainability.

This achievement marks an important step in the Company’s broader journey to build a more sustainable, nature-based product portfolio in response to growing global demand. By combining strong garden identities with internationally recognised organic standards, Talawakelle Tea Estates continues to strengthen its position in the premium tea segment.