Reducing Domestic Barriers to Export Success Simplifying and Rationalising the Exporter Registration Process is Critical

Export promotion has been a key policy objective of successive governments in Sri Lanka. his note critically ex amines the current process that local businesses in Sri Lanka must follow when venturing into export markets for the first time; transitioning from a business catering exclusively to the domestic market to one that engages with an export market. finds that although the current registration process was introduced with the intention of identifying and supporting new exporters, its execution severely impedes the achievement of this goal. The lengthy, inefficient and burdensome process currently in place does more to hinder rather than help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are more in need of government assistance to enter international markets compared to larger firms.