The Sri Lanka Embassy in Cairo participated at the 46th Session of Cairo International Fair from 19th to 29th March 2013 as part of trade promotion work being undertaken in Egypt and the North African region. A stall at the fair was open for displaying pure Ceylon Tea, Porcelain ware (Dankotuwa) and Manchee Biscuits. This initiative was supported by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Export Development Board.
Cairo International Fair, considered to be one of the largest trade fairs in Africa, is an annual event attracting high profile business delegations and buyers from many countries especially in African and Middle-Eastern regions.
The main aim of the Sri Lanka stall was to promote packeted pure Ceylon Tea and explore market opportunities in Egypt and North African countries. In this region, tea remains the most popular drink. Egypt alone has a vast market potential with over 80 million population. Majority of them are tea drinkers. The theme “Ceylon Tea at all Times” was highlighted for the tea promotion conducted through the stall at the fair. At the stall, an assortment of pure Ceylon tea from 12 Sri Lankan exporters was displayed. This wide display enabled the prospective buyers to realize that Ceylon tea has a broad range of product categories capable of catering different market segments. The priority was given to one-to-one business meetings to understand specific behaviour of each market segment and to gather market intelligence for devising an action plan for future tea promotion work. More than 100 business meetings were conducted, and nearly 50 prospective buyers for displayed items were identified for further follow-up action in coordination with Sri Lankan tea exporters. During these meetings, promotional materials from Sri Lanka Tea Board were distributed; a documentary film on Sri Lanka tea industry and Sri Lanka tourism screened at regular intervals, and tea tasting was done to convince the buyers of the unique qualities of pure Ceylon tea.
The stall was also used as a platform for promoting Sri Lanka tourism. The business persons at the one-to-one meetings were encouraged to visit Sri Lanka by briefing them about the economic revival in the country with the end of 30 year-long terrorism.
The Sri Lanka Embassy also facilitated participation of representatives from DSI tyres and Stessen tea at the fair. While declaring open the Sri Lanka stall, Stessen tea and DSI tyres, H.E. Mr. Sudantha Ganegama Arachchi, Ambassador of Sri Lanka assured the representatives of these companies that unstinting support from the Embassy would always be extended to the success of their business plans in Egypt. Mr. P. Jayakody, First Secretary (Commerce) of the Embassy played an active role in organizing the Sri Lanka stall and in undertaking promotional activities.
