SRI
LANKA GEM & JEWLLERY ASSOCIATION
HIGHLIGHTS
OF ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
# 1990-2008 Organized the FACETS International
gem & jewellery trade show annually which
has run consecutively for 18 years
# Organize Lustre National Gem & Jewellery
trade show
# 1981 Successfully negotiated income tax concessions
for exporter and foreign currency retailers
# 1989 Successfully protested the Kalu Ganga
mining rights to South Africans
# 1996 Convinced the GoSL to remove the import
duty on gold, diamonds and coloured stones.
# 1998 Successfully lobbied GoSL to zero rate
GST/VAT on gold, diamonds and coloured stones.
# 1999 Negotiated the removal of income tax
on gems auctioned at the mine by paying a 1%
tax to NGJA.
# 1999 Proposed the establishment of an internationally
recognized gem lab and started the Laboratory
Development Fund under the trusteeship of the
NGJA with voluntary contributions from exporters.
The collection of this fund now stands at about
Rs. 90 million, out of which over 80% has been
contributed by our members.
# 2002 Developed a Competitiveness Strategy
and Prepared a 5 year development plan for the
industry.
# 2002 Established LankaJewels.Com the first
gem & jewellery industry web portal
# 2002 Established the Gem & Jewellery Training
Institute to provide advanced training in the
gem industry with the membership of state organizations
and private sector companies.
# 2002 Negotiated simplified procedure for the
import of gems by declaring them on the baggage
declaration form
# 2003 Averted an international scandal on unethical
geuda treatment and disclosure, by convincing
the trade to cooperate with international researches
and guiding and supporting the NGJA in damage
control measures
# 2003 Designated as the APEX trade organization
by the government.
# 2004 Formulated a Code of Ethics for the industry
and adopted it as the code of ethics for our
members
# 2005 Formulated the VAT suspended mechanism
to mitigate the effects of the 2005 budget proposals.
# Through our corporate social responsibility
projects in 2005 with the support of the REVIVE
Project of the USAID, we assisted over 140 tsunami
affected jewellers to rebuild their livelihoods
by providing them tools, machinery and equipment
worth over Rs. 10 million. We also facilitated
these jewellers to raise about Rs. 70 million
concessionary financing for their working capital.
# Led a trade delegation to Tanzania to introduce
local dealers to the Tanzanian supply source
# Led a trade delegation to Madagascar to introduce
local dealers to the Malagasy supply source
# Negotiated with Department of Exchange Control
for a $15,000 allowance to dealers to purchase
gems overseas.
# In 2006 in partnership with the HELP Sri Lanka
Consortium, we have undertaken the construction
of 18 houses in a village located in Pelagaspalate
in Galle costing around Rs. 8 million utilizing
funds raised from among our members and their
international business contacts. "Menik Gama'
is built on 1360 hectares and each house which
is 530sq ft has a small verandah, living room,
kitchen cum dinning room and two bedrooms and
a toilet.
# Ceylon Sapphire Branding campaign
# Lobby against the granting for mining rights
to foreign owned plantation co’s.
# Catalytical role in the Invention of the Lakmini
furnace
# Negotiated tariff concessions under the Indian
FTA
# Duty free scheme for consumable supplies for
gem and jewellery manufacture
# We are pleased to have offered 5 recipients
a sum of Rs.1,000,000 each at a concessionary
rate of interest on the Concessionary Finanace
for the gem and jewellery industry which was
facillitated by the Ministry of Enterprise,
Development Promotions and the Lanka Puthra
Development Bank.
# Construction of 30 houses for those affected
by the Tsunami
# Reviving livelihoods of Tsunami affected persons
in the gem and jewellery industry
#In April 2007 we negotiate with the postal
authorities to accept gem & jewelry parcels
under EMS
# Contributed Rs. 100,000/- towards the victims
of flood if Myanmar
# Donated 2 Gem cutting Machines for the Disabled
soldiers of the Defense Academy.
# Donated bottled water worth for Rs.475,00/-
towards the need of armed forces
# Donated Rs.50,000/- to the Welfare Association
of the Presidential Secretariat.
# Donated goods worth Rs.200,000/- to the Internally
displaced persons who were liberated and settled
in camps in the North.
# An 80% of the sum of Rs.92.49m which funds
were collected from the exporters of Gem &
Jewellery from 1st January to 7th June 2005
represented the contribution from the members
of the Association towards the Establishment
of Lanka Gemological Laboratory
