The Hon. Sunil Handunnetti - Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Regulations under the Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties Act are vital to protect domestic industry. Under an open economy, many local industries suffered due to the impact of imports. I thank the Hon. Minister of Trade for swiftly bringing these Regulations.

¶ 02 Key sectors will be protected: sanitary apparel, bathware, tiles, and leather products including footwear. Many in Jaffna’s North engage in leather products; it would have been apt had the Hon. Member from the North spoken for those producers too. Anti-dumping is not about bones and graves; it is about unfairly priced imports undermining local industry.

¶ 03 Our tile industry is now fully domestic, providing jobs and livelihoods; yet imported tiles are sold far below cost, dumped from countries like China and Thailand. There was no safeguard for fair competition. These Regulations create a mechanism—producers can complain, source prices can be verified via Sri Lanka Customs, and real import prices established. This protects producers and consumers from deception.

¶ 04 In footwear, despite strong local brands, imported shoes are sometimes sold at extremely low prices even with high taxes, which may look like a short-term consumer benefit but inflicts long-term damage on the national economy. Similar issues arise with matches versus ultra-cheap lighters. These are the matters to discuss, not only graves.

¶ 05 Going forward, we are working with the Trade and Finance Ministries to bring a National Tariff Policy to Parliament, so we do not change duties ad hoc. A stable framework will give confidence to investors, joint ventures, and domestic producers over a five-year horizon.

¶ 06 Our stock market has surpassed the 20,000 mark, showing stable, sustained growth; exports exceeded USD 8 billion; July, though not a tourism peak, saw over 200,000 tourists. This reflects a functioning system: rule of law, accountability, action against organized crime, and consistent policies. Parliament’s responsibility is to pass such coherent regulatory measures. Approving these Regulations will protect our share of the national economy and our domestic producers. I thank the Secretary to the Ministry and all stakeholders, including chambers and producer associations, for their input. This is a victory for domestic industry and the national economy. Let us carry this system forward successfully.