Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development

¶ 01 Hon. Member, the Industry Ministry focuses on the production side, while the CAA and the Environment Ministry handle consumer protection and regulation. Although laws exist, strict enforcement is lacking. We are currently tightening regulatory processes for products, market controls, and oversight of manufacturers. A large share of the market is supplied via imports, which often are of lower quality than domestic products; import regulation is a major challenge. We are proposing alternatives to reduce packaging, including alternative materials, selective bans, and consumer behaviour change. We are also addressing how producers bear the costs of recycling through appropriate mechanisms.