Significantly it is also the largest such body in terms of its Secretariat and also its service base which is highly diversified.

Over the years it has been perhaps the most important private sector Institution engaged in supporting and guiding the Small and Medium Scale sector in the country. A key arm of the Federation was established as far back as 1989 which exclusively engages itself in a range of services that support SME development.

This is the Small and Medium Enterprise Developers (SMED) who will be responsible for mounting the “Agri Livestock and Fisheries SMEDEX 2010”.

This is the first occasion on which an exhibition covering three vital areas of the economy is being held in Sri Lanka.  It will also be largest such exhibition to be held in the country.  

The primary objectives of the exhibition are to showcase the talent capacity and the ability of the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs representing the three sectors.

Within the spectrum of those in the agriculture sector there will be a variety of organizations and individuals including producers, supplies, and distributors of rice those representing the fruit and vegetable producers, transporters and packagers and a range of others connected to this sector.

In respect of Fisheries the exhibition will project harvesters and exporters of fish, manufacturers of boats, and other implements relating to the boat industry etc.

The exhibition will also display the products of producers and suppliers of inputs such as those in agro chemicals which contribute a great deal for improvement of harvests not only in respect and paddy production but also in areas such as fruits and vegetables. The exhibition will also showcase fruit products and canning of fruit and fish.      

That local producers, manufacturers in these three areas need to be educated in the promotional techniques of marketing their products and we believe that the exhibition will enable them to gain valuable knowledge in this regard following interaction which foreign participants and buyers’ at the Exhibition.

It is also intended to promote the utilization of indigenous inputs and new materials at the Exhibition.

“SMEDEX” is endorsed and supported by the Ministries of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Livestock Development.

SMED’s partners in this endeavour are the Export Development Board (EDB), International Finance Cooperation (IFC), Dialog Telekom PLC as communication provider, The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (ANCL) as print media, and ITN Sri Lanka as electronic media sponsor.

The ideas expressed by Mrs. Renuka Rodrigo, the Director of Small & Medium Enterprise Developers (SMED) in this regard are very pertinent;

“The exhibition during the previous year (2008) was confined only to the Fisheries sector.  But we felt it was important to expand the scope of exhibition so that it would cover Agriculture, Livestock, as well as the Fisheries industries. All these three sectors are interconnected.  This is the first occasion that an Exhibition of this magnitude is being held in the country. We are hopeful that it will provide ample opportunity for Small and Medium Entrepreneurs to project their capacity also learn from other international exhibitors especially in terms of their products, technology and marketing ability.  This would enable the local exhibitors in this field to explore international markets for their goods and services.   

We may at this stage state that Federation of Chambers of Commerce Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) is the largest and the most representative body of the private sector in the country.  Small and Medium Enterprise Developers (SMED) which is in an important part of the Federation has decades of experience and is a proven promoter of small and medium Industries”.

21^st Saturday November, 2009

10.00 am to 10.45am	Cold Chain Concept for fields of Agric, Fisheries and Livestock Manjunath M S Head, Marketing & Exports Rinac India Limited No. 5 Saraswati Niwas, Main Channel Road- Ulsoor/Bangalore 560 008/  INDIA
10.30 am to 11.30 am	Livestock and its’ Contribution to the Economy of Sri Lanka Mr. Sunimal Senaratne Secretary Ministry of Livestock Development Colombo
1.30 pm to 2.30 pm	Dairy Industry in Sri Lanka Dr. D. D. N. Chandrasiri Ad/Director General Department of Animal Production & Health
3.00 pm to 4.00 pm	Private Sector Contribution to the Development of Livestock Sector in Sri Lanka Dr. S. P. Gunaratne Senior Lecturer / Faculty of Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science, Peradenitya.

22^nd Sunday November, 2009

10.30 am to 11.30 am	Disease Prevention and Health Care in Ornamental Fish industry Dr. Kamal Balasuriya Retired Director National Aquaculture Development Authority
1.30 pm to 2.30 pm	Investment Opportunities in Aquaculture along the East Coast of Sri Lanka Mr. Nimal Chndraratne Director National Aquaculture Development Authority Colombo
3.00 pm to 4.00 pm	Shock Treatment and Disease Quarantine in Ornamental Fish Farming. Mr. A. R. Mudalege OIC Ornamental Fish Breeding Centre Rambodagalla

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