The tense situation created after the Easter Sunday attacks has added pressure on the exporter community as it strives to meet the delivery times set by the buyer community.

Apparel exporter and President of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka Ramya Weerakoon said: “The country was disrupted due to the recent attacks and we found it a very difficult time to meet the delivery targets. On top of this issue, the cargo cutoff time had been advanced. Therefore, we were compelled to meet these requirements. However, we were unable to do night shifts and the situation worsened.”

Furthermore, she explained that “the buyers who place orders for spring and summer usually visit us during this time of the year for negotiations. All the buyers have cancelled their visits to the country. This is a big blow to the export community… We have to find ways and means of going through our activities despite these setbacks. The buyers are the key factor in our business and we need to have a good rapport with them.”