SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub launches Sinhala and Tamil export handbooks to boost women-led exports to UK

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), the host institution of the SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the British High Commission in Colombo, launched two sector-specific export handbooks in Sinhala and Tamil to strengthen the export readiness of Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) targeting the United Kingdom (UK) market.

The handbooks focus on the Textiles and Apparel sector, including women’s accessories, footwear and handicrafts, as well as Processed Agrifood and Spices sectors. They provide guidance on the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which offers duty-free access on around 92% of product lines exported from Sri Lanka to the UK, along with other trade benefits.

The initiative is implemented under the UK Government-funded SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, which aims to improve the competitiveness, capacity and international market access of women entrepreneurs and women-led export-oriented businesses across Commonwealth countries.

Discussions at the launch event focused on promoting export-led women entrepreneurship, expanding SME export opportunities and addressing challenges faced by businesses in accessing international markets.

“The UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme presents a golden opportunity for Sri Lankan enterprises to enter and scale within the UK market under preferential access arrangements,” said Chathurgange Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development.

Lord Hannett highlighted the importance of trade support initiatives in ensuring entrepreneurs continue to benefit from international market opportunities. He noted that translating the export handbooks into local languages would help make valuable market information more accessible to entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka, enabling a wider range of businesses to better understand UK export requirements and opportunities.

With zero-tariff access available under the scheme, Sri Lankan exporters have greater opportunities to explore growth prospects and expand their presence in the UK market.

The newly launched handbooks serve as practical guides to help women entrepreneurs and SMEs navigate UK export market requirements, including procedures, regulatory compliance and market expectations. Providing the resources in Sinhala and Tamil is expected to improve accessibility and widen outreach among export-oriented entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka.

The handbooks are available for download via the EDB SheTrades Publications and Resources portal: https://www.srilankabusiness.com/exporters/shetrades/publications-and-resources.html