The National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) of Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Partnership for Accelerating Results in Trade, National Expenditure and Revenue (PARTNER) project, hosted a webinar on the regulatory framework governing agro-food exports to the United States.
Held on October 27, this webinar for NCE members and other potential Sri Lankan agro-food exporters provided information regarding compliance requirements and market opportunities.
USAID has a long history of working with the private sector to advance sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Sri Lanka,” said Reed J. Aeschliman, Mission Director for USAID for Sri Lanka and the Maldives. “To expand on this partnership, USAID continues to seek ways to engage with the private sector in Sri Lanka to increase economic competitiveness through initiatives such as this.”
Faye Feldstein, a Senior Advisor at Deloitte Consulting LLP, spoke on issues of food safety management and regulatory compliance at the webinar. She provided an overview of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and requirements pertaining to food safety and imports. Feldstein highlighted that it is important to know the ‘’correct food safety rules that apply when exporting to the United States.
Additional speakers included Menaka Wanniarachchi, Director Operations at NCE, and Malith Gunasekara, Chief of Party for the USAID/PARTNER project. Rizvi Zaheed, Chairman of Oceanpick PVT Ltd., moderated a question and answer session following the presentations. NCE is the only private sector chamber exclusively serving Sri Lankan exporters. Its main aim is to provide support services required by Sri Lankan exporters to enhance exports. USAID’s PARTNER project identifies unique and innovative methods to bolster Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and strengthen the capacity of small and medium enterprises, private sector associations, and chambers to promote a vibrant private sector in Sri Lanka.
Presentation: Understanding Regulations Compliance Requirements on Agro-Food imports in the US.pptx