Though Sri Lanka is a prominent apparels manufacturing country, it has been revealed that around 60 percent of the apparels sold in the local market are those from countries like China, India and Indonesia.

Sri Lanka’s retail apparels market is worth around USD 02 billion, said Sri Lanka Apparel Brands Association (SLABA) chairman Indradaththa Dharmawardene.

Around 40 percent of this market share is enjoyed by Sri Lankan brands.

Indradaththa Dharmawardene added that his association does not demand that the government should prevent these brands into the market by heavy taxations, but expects to compete with the foreign apparels by competitively developing the quality of the local products, since local products could create a future only through such efforts.

The main objective of the SLABA is to make Sri Lankan apparel brands reach high recognition in the local as well as foreign markets.

Currently the membership within the SLABA has exceeded 60 and it expects to increase Sri Lanka’s apparel production up to USD 03 billion.