COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Prabhash Subasinghe, managing director of industrial tire manufacturer Global Rubber Industries (GRI) Pvt. Ltd., has been re-elected chairman of the Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP).
Mr. Subasinghe was re-elected at the annual general meeting of SLAMERP in Colombo Jan. 16. This will be his third consecutive year as SLAMERP chairman, the association said.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Subasinghe said the Sri Lankan rubber product industry is enjoying steady growth. Sri Lankan exports of rubber products totaled $855 million in 2017, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 11 percent, he said.
However, growth in Sri Lankan natural rubber production is not keeping pace with rubber product manufacturing, according to Mr. Subasinghe. NR production in Sri Lanka rose 7 percent in 2017 to 85,000 metric tons, but local demand is almost 130,000 tons, he said.