FTA committee report by end 1Q next year By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):The Cabinet-appointed committee to evaluate ongoing free trade agreements (FTA) and explore potential new ones is slated to come out with an evaluation report by the end of the 2026 first quarter, Secretary for the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security K.A. He added that the African FTA discussions are at an initial stage and the committee will come out with recommendations in the coming quarter. Industrialists have been calling for an African FTA for the past year. Sanjeewa Wickramanayake – Chairman EWIS, a Company exporting computer components to Africa, said that such an FTA could facilitate the country’s transformation into an electronics hub. Mr. Vimalenthirarajah also said that the government is preparing to introduce a comprehensive overhaul to the national tariff policy by mid-2026.

Source: Sunday Times December 27, 2025 20:04 UTC