BIZ

No support from tourism authorities to SL’s largest gem exhibition!

Published

2 years ago

October 5, 2023

editor

The 30th edition of FACETS Sri Lanka, Asia’s premier gem and jewellery exhibition organised by the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA) in partnership with the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) and the Export Development Board (EDB) will be held in Colombo next year.

It will be held at the Atrium Lobby of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel from January 06 – 08, 2024.

The SLGJA, formed in 2002, is the apex body for the gem and jewellery industry in Sri Lanka and represents all subsectors of the trade.

Over the years, FACETS Sri Lanka has become an important event in the international gem and jewellery calendar. This year too, it will serve as a much looked-forward meeting point for the global gem and jewellery sector, attracting prominent traders, gemstone and jewellery wholesalers, exporters, manufacturers, lapidarists, retailers, and collectors from across the globe.

A press conference was held in Colombo on October 03 to elaborate on the event.

FACETS Sri Lanka Chairman – Mr. Altaf Iqbal, SLGJA Board Member – Mr. Saman Amarasena, NGJA Chairman – Mr. Viraj De Silva, EDB Chairman – Dr. Kingsley Barnard, General Manager of Cinnamon Grand Hotel – Mr. Kamal Munasinghe and Mr. Rizan Nazeer, the Chairman of Local Promotion Committee of NGJA attended the press conference.

No support from tourism authorities!
FACETS Sri Lanka President Altaf Iqbal, who attended the event, shared his views on the upcoming exhibition and new features of FACETS Sri Lanka 2024, including the newly added Sustainability Pavilion and Sapphire Design Pavilion.

He added that the Ministry of Tourism and other authorities were informed about this exhibition, which can be promoted successfully among tourists. However, it is regrettable that they have not given any support to this exhibition, he said.

Many new features and booths
There will be a host of new additions to the show, such as the Sustainable Pavilion and the Sapphire Masterpiece Pavilion.

There will be several Pavilions showcased at FACETS Sri Lanka 2024 including the Premier Gem Pavilion, Premier Jewellery Pavilion, Sustainable Pavilion, Sapphire Masterpiece Pavilion, Rough Stone Pavilion, Gem Lab Pavilion, NGJA SME Pavilion, and the SLGJA Gem and Jewellery Pavilion. The event will also feature a special ‘Reminisce of the Past’ Event.

The Premier Gem Pavilion has been a part of FACETS Sri Lanka since its inception.

It will consist of leading Sri Lankan gem dealers who have been a part of FACETS Sri Lanka over an extended period of time, showcasing their gems for sale. The Premier Jewellery Pavilion will consist of prominent local jewellers, displaying their gems and finely crafted jewellery.

The Sustainable Pavilion is a first for FACETS Sri Lanka and will present the historical evolution of Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery sector, along with its sustainability-related methods and approaches. It will also display the 2300-year history of the Sri Lankan gem trade from mine to market.

The Sapphire Masterpiece Pavilion, which is another first in Sri Lanka, will display large, precious stones, and will be on sale on the final day of the show. The Rough Stone Pavilion will feature and display rough stones from all sourcing countries of the world.

The Premier Gem Lab Pavilion brings together leading local and international gem labs together under one roof. The NGJA SME Pavilion will offer selected SMEs from across the country to showcase their gems and jewellery. The SLGJA Gem and Jewellery Pavilion will showcase gem and jewellery stalls from SLGJA members.

The ‘Reminisce of the Past’ event will feature a variety of speakers including senior gem and jewellery merchants who will speak about a variety of topics including how business was conducted in the past, and how the industry has evolved from the early years of humble beginnings, to what it is today.

BIZ

BOC to provide Rs. 10 Bn for grooming young entrepreneurs

Published

13 hours ago

June 23, 2025

editor

Deputy General Manager of Development Banking and Branch Credit Operations of Bank of Ceylon (BOC) R.M.N. Jeewantha said that the Bank Has introduced a special programme to create new entrepreneurs for the country from young people with a business idea.

He stated that the basic requirement for becoming an entrepreneur is to have an entrepreneurial idea, and that the bank provides all other advisory services including financial and non-financial facilities required to become a successful entrepreneur.

He stated this at the Bank of Ceylon headquarters while participating in a special discussion with the Daily News newspaper on Friday (20).

“We provide all the resources, facilities and advice required for the young people who come in this way to practically implement their business ideas. Last year, this programme created 15,000 new young entrepreneurs for the country. This year, our aim is to bequeath another group of young people to the country. The bank is ready to provide Rs 10 billion rupees as the initial capital required for this group,” he said.

The bank provides an initial capital of Rs. 500,000 for the new start-up at the initial stage without any securities as no collateral is needed. He said that even for a person already engaged in a business, the bank will provide the necessary support free of charge to develop that business, sell products, introduce new products, and enter the export market. Accordingly, any person under the age of thirty can come to the bank’s SME Circle and receive the necessary advice and financial facilities to develop as an entrepreneur.

“Anyone under the age of thirty who has a business idea should come to the bank. The bank is ready to provide Rs. 500,000 as initial capital for such start-ups at a low interest rate of seven percent. They also do not need collateral,” he added.

(dailynews.lk)
(This story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

BIZ

Standard egg prices to be announced daily via SMS

Published

3 days ago

June 20, 2025

editor

Chairman of the All-Ceylon Egg Producers’ Association, R.M. Sarath Rathnayake has said new measures to announce daily standardized egg prices will be introduced from next Monday (June 23) to ensure fair pricing for consumers.

The prices covering wholesale, retail, and intermediary rates will be communicated daily at 5.00am via SMS to small, medium, and large-scale egg producers, as well as bakery owners, food manufacturers, and hotels through the number 070-7030700.

He warned of recent practices where eggs were bought at Rs.15-18 and stockpiled, stating such actions will no longer be tolerated.

He also criticized groups posing as “egg associations” without actual farming experience.

The cost of producing an egg is around Rs.28 for large farms, Rs.29-30 for medium range farms, and Rs.32 for small-scale producers, he further said.

BIZ

16 bn. Apple, Facebook, Google passwords exposed

Published

3 days ago

June 20, 2025

editor

A staggering 16 billion passwords to Apple, Facebook, Google, and various US government services have been leaked online, triggering global security alerts in what experts are calling the most significant data breach in history.

The mammoth security breach has forced Google to urge billions of users to change their passwords immediately.

At the same time, the FBI has issued warnings to Americans about opening suspicious links in SMS messages.

Cybersecurity experts at Cybernews, who investigated the breach, discovered a whopping 30 exposed datasets containing between tens of millions and over 3.5 billion records each.

Perhaps most alarmingly, researchers confirmed that nearly all these exposed datasets contain previously unreported information, making this an entirely fresh security crisis.

“This is not just a leak – it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation,” the researchers said via Forbes this week.

(news.com.au)