10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Hon. Ravi Karunanayake

New Democratic Front· National List· 25 September 2025 ·Debate: Debate: Imports and Exports (Control) Act - Regulations for Vehicle Imports

Public FinanceForeign Affairs
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Hon. Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to engage the United Kingdom on trade agreements and pursue new export markets through free trade arrangements, citing a 6.6% decline in apparel exports as a concern requiring quick action. He also questioned delays in tabling the Board of Investment’s 2023/2024 accounts and called for the BOI to operate more efficiently, with a more private-sector-oriented approach to facilitating exports.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 When you are in the Chair, it is easier—thank you for fairness to the Opposition.

¶ 02 We must engage the UK to conclude trade agreements and expand exports via free trade arrangements. When one door closes, seek new markets. The 6.6% apparel drop is alarming; we must address it quickly.

¶ 03 On the Board of Investment: their 2023/2024 accounts are still not tabled—this indicates inefficiency. While I know the Chair, Arjuna Beiratne, is capable, the staff must function more like the private sector to ease exports.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Thursday, 25 September 2025 ·No. 1759483897051145 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Page · column
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Permalink
/lk/speeches/20147

Cite as: Hon. Ravi Karunanayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 25 September 2025. No. 1759483897051145. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/20147