The Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, emphasized that all departments should work together to promote export-oriented development.
A special high-level discussion on the promotion of small and medium enterprises and the acceleration of export-oriented development in the Northern Province was held this morning – on Wednesday, 11 March 2026 at the Governor’s Secretariat, under the chairmanship of the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan.
Speaking at the beginning of the discussion, which was attended by the Chairman of the National Enterprise Development Authority, Lakshman Abhayasekara, as a special guest, the Governor pointed out that the resources of the Northern Province have not yet been fully utilized. He stated that it is the need of the hour for all departments to work together in coordination to strengthen the provincial economy and achieve export-oriented development.
He further emphasized that greater encouragement should be given to initiatives that convert agricultural products into value-added products for export, noting that such measures would help address the daily challenges faced by farmers in marketing their produce.
During the open discussion that followed, the practical challenges faced by small and medium-scale entrepreneurs were discussed in detail. It was decided that the business incubator located in Science City would be made fully operational within the next two months in order to better serve the needs of entrepreneurs.
To facilitate this, it was agreed to seek additional support through the National Enterprise Development Authority and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Furthermore, steps will be taken to promote new business ideas in collaboration with the Business Learning Center of the University of Jaffna and the Department of Industry.
The need for accredited quality testing centers for food and other products was also discussed during the meeting. It was agreed to integrate the laboratories of the newly established testing center at the University of Vavuniya, the Department of Chemistry of the University of Jaffna, and the Palmyrah Development Board in order to provide such services to entrepreneurs at a low cost. It was also proposed to establish a dedicated data center for this purpose.
The practical challenges faced by small and medium-scale entrepreneurs in obtaining loans were also specifically examined. In particular, it was brought to the attention of the Governor that such loans were not reaching those in need in the other four districts outside Jaffna. Accordingly, it was decided to hold a special discussion with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and other commercial banks at the earliest to address this issue.
Furthermore, the meeting decided to establish a private service provider structure that would integrate the existing resources within the province and collaborate with banks and other institutions to provide business advisory services to entrepreneurs.
The event was attended by the Secretary to the Governor, the Secretary to the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture, the Deans of the Faculties of Engineering and Agriculture of the University of Jaffna, Senior Lecturer and Member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee Dr. Akilan Kathirkamar, the Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and several other officials.
