Business
CBL Samaposha receives two prestigious awards at SLIM Brands Excellence 2020

The winning team of CBL Samaposha accepting the awards.
CBL Samaposha has been at the front and centre of building better nutrition habits for Sri Lanka’s children and this commitment was recognized with the Silver Award for ‘Local Brand of the Year’ and the Bronze award for ‘CSR Brand of the Year’ at the recently concluded SLIM Brand Excellence Awards.
Samaposha is a Sri Lankan brand, manufactured with grains grown by local farmers, completely free of artificial colours/flavors, food additives or preservatives. The brand aims to provide convenient and delicious nutritious breakfast choices for every household to cater to community nutrition needs. Working with over 12,000 farmers and their families, CBL’s dedicated teams on the field support farmers with equipment, training and assistance to employ agriculture best practices for improved quality, productivity and yield. Through CBL Govi Pawula, farmer communities are empowered and supported through training, rural infrastructure, health camps and awareness drives.
CBL Samaposha also works to encourage better nutrition habits, reaching over 1.5 million consumer touch points annually via their dedicated activations. The ‘Samaposha Breakfast Eka Hari Wadagath” campaign effectively reinforced the importance of breakfast for child development. The brand also launched an interactive online learning platform aimed at developing knowledge, creativity and practical skills of children.
Commenting on Samaposha’s achievements at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards, Jayanga Perera, General Manager- Marketing, CBL Food Cluster stated, “The Samaposha brand has been very closely linked to nutrition in our communities and it is a Sri Lankan product that is made with the finest locally grown grains. The brand is a strong advocate for better nutrition habits in our communities and for the development of the rural agriculture sector and, it is because of this commitment to our consumers that we have become a much loved Sri Lankan brand, so it is really humbling to have the Samaposha brand recognized at the SLIM Brand Excellence for these efforts.”
Hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards were initiated to appreciate and encourage the dedication and hard work that companies have demonstrated in making brand champions. While endeavoring to advocate best practices among corporates, SLIM strives to bring recognition to companies that raise their local brands to global standards.
The flagship brand of CBL Plenty Foods (Pvt) Ltd, Samaposha is a fully owned subsidiary of CBL Group,
Business
National Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat to be established

In an effort to accelerate trade facilitation commitments and bolster the business landscape in Sri Lanka, a high-level review of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) was conducted at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (7).
The review focused on assessing the progress of trade facilitation commitments and scrutinizing the performance of the NTFC Secretariat. The private sector also voiced their views on expediting actions to ensure the completion of measures ahead of the projected timeline of 2025-2030.
In order to streamline compliance and optimize performance, several directives were issued during the meeting. Firstly, it was decided to establish the NTFC Secretariat under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Secondly, immediate measures to be taken to address the staffing requirements of the Secretariat and lastly, the budget allocated for the NTFC Secretariat in 2023, currently under the Department of Customs, was to be transferred to the Ministry of Finance to prioritize pending actions such as the development of the NTFC website and progress reporting system.
During the meeting, deliberations took place concerning the proposed National Single Window, a system aimed at simplifying and expediting trade processes. The participants agreed to expedite the submission of the proposal in a sequential manner to ensure its swift implementation.
Business
PM discusses ADB future projects in Sri Lanka with ADB DG and new Country Director

Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Director General for South Asia Kenichi Yokoyama and newly appointed Country Director Takafumi Kadono held discussions with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on Thursday (June 8) at the Temple Trees in Colombo.
The Prime Minister, while welcoming the new Director General thanked the outgoing DG, Chen Chen for the support extended to Sri Lanka during the height of Covid pandemic and the economic crisis. He thanked the ADB for extending short term, immediate contingency support which has helped Sri Lankan economy to recover from the unprecedented crisis within a short period of time. ADB loan funds amounting to USD 380 mn were targeted for enhancing fiscal space and efficient public financial management system as well as strengthening the SME sector with access to finance. Further USD 250 mn was obtained as budgetary support to develop Capital Market.
The Prime Minister made a special mention about ADB’s US$ 333 million emergency assistance to support import of essential items such as fertilizer, medicines and chemicals for water treatment, working capital support to SMEs, and cash transfer to most poor and vulnerable to mitigate the impact of economic crisis.
ADB Director General for South Asia Keinichi Yokohoma, praised the recovery made by Sri Lankan economy and briefed the Prime Minister about the ADB’s mid-term and long-term projects for economic progress and infrastructure development.
Business
ADB provides Sri Lanka access to concessional financing to facilitate sustained and inclusive recovery

Low interest -rate financing broadens country’s options to bridge urgent development financing needs
ADB support now comes in concessional and market-based financing, technical assistance, policy advice, and knowledge solutions
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the eligibility of Sri Lanka to access concessional financing. The availability of concessional assistance, offered at low interest rates, broadens Sri Lanka’s options to bridge its urgent development financing needs to restore economic stability and deliver essential services, particularly to the poor and vulnerable.
Eligibility for concessional resources among the developing member countries of ADB is based on gross national income per capita and creditworthiness. ADB’s decision was considered based on a request from the Government of Sri Lanka in view of the severe and unprecedented economic crisis that has reversed hard-won development gains.
“ADB is committed to further enhancing its support for the people of Sri Lanka as the country responds to this deep crisis that has severely undermined their livelihoods and well-being,” said ADB Director General for South Asia Kenichi Yokoyama. “The availability of concessional assistance will help Sri Lanka to lay the foundation for economic recovery and sustained, inclusive growth.”
Sri Lanka is now eligible for ADB support including concessional and market-based financing, technical assistance, policy advice, and knowledge solutions that together comprise a comprehensive suite of options to address the crisis. Access to concessional financing will also ease debt servicing pressures through more favorable lending terms.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
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