Sri Lanka Embassy in Riyadh, in collaboration with the Export Development Board and the Tea Board of Sri Lanka, facilitated the participation of 12 Sri Lankan food and beverage exporter companies, for the first time in the 11th Saudi FOODEX - 2024 Exhibition held from recently in Riyadh. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia O.L. Ameer Ajwad, ceremonially unveiled the Sri Lankan pavilion at Saudi FOODEX, which is a premier platform that significantly boosts the economies of the participating nations, by creating new trade opportunities and fostering international business relationships.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad pointed out that the joint participation of Sri Lanka’s renowned Tea and Food exporter companies at FOODEX, which is one of Saudi Arabia’s top international trade exhibitions, would serve as a catalyst to boost Sri Lanka’s export products to the Saudi market. Ambassador also underscored that such participation would showcase Sri Lanka’s high-quality tea and other local food products to Saudi clients, and help Sri Lanka to find novel opportunities under the food security initiatives that are being planned in relation to the Vision 2030 of the Kingdom. He further highlighted that while Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year, the joint participation of Sri Lankan food and beverage companies was a significant initiative, with a view to further consolidating private sector interactions between the two countries in the days ahead.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh also organized B2B networking sessions for the visiting Sri Lankan food and beverage companies and their counterparts from the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce on the sidelines of the FOODEX. The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted a luncheon at the Embassy premises in Riyadh in honour of the visiting Sri Lanka trade delegation and the representatives from Riyadh-based hypermarkets and supermarket chains.
Representing the Sri Lankan tea sector, the companies Meezan & Company (Pvt) Ltd, A.F Jones Exporters Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka Ceylon Tea Land (Pvt) Ltd, Expoteas Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd, Enrich Tea & Food Exports (Pvt) Ltd, as well as Mackwoods Ltd participated. The food sector of Sri Lanka was represented by Zaya Global Exports (Pvt) Ltd, Maliban Biscuits Manufactories (Pvt) Ltd, Tradelanka Agricultural Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, Consolidated Business System LTD, Eco Paints (Pvt) Ltd, Aqua 'N Green Ltd, Norfolk Foods Pvt Ltd. Sri Lanka Export Development Board also participated in Saudi FOODEX -2024.