The iconic Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF) that has been held consistently in the Northern peninsula for the past 14 years hosting over 300 stalls and thereby strengthening a range of small and medium enterprises island-wide, will once again showcase its 15th edition at the Muttraweli grounds. Organized by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (LECS), a renowned exhibition organizer, this international trade event is to be held this year from 24th to 26th January, transforming the northern district into an arena of unparalleled opportunities for businesses,
products and services ranging from sustainable energy solutions, construction, consumer products, travel and tourism, food and beverage, packaging, information and communication technology, education, automotive, agriculture, apparel, hospitality, financial services, holistic wellness, and healthcare. The JITF is seen as one of the key brand awareness launchpads which assist new start-ups to obtain exposure and facilitate older companies to mature into more recognition
The platinum sponsor is Diesel & Motor Engineering (DIMO) while the gold sponsors are Adrian Solar Green, Nippon Cement, House of S-Lon while the silver partners include 4rever Skin Naturals, Ceylon Biscuits Limited (Munchee), Deen Brothers Imports Pvt. Ltd. (DBL), Evolution Auto, Ferentino, Maxies, Hayleys Solar, FINE, LH Consortium, Phoenix, Super PVC, Sun Match Company Pvt Ltd (Soorya), Ruhunu Foods, MAK Lubricants Sri Lanka, Rhino, Sola, Ellawala Horticulture Pvt. Ltd (TJC Mango), which is supporting the JIFT with the Silver sponsorship. The official partners for the event include the Uthayan Publishers, Tilko City Hotel Jaffna, Capital Television, and Maha Mini Sound.
“The LECS, in association with the CCIY is exceptionally keen to launch its latest edition of the JITF this year as Sri Lanka heralds a new era of political leadership that champions equality and national unity,” Aasim Mukthar, CEO of LECS stated. He emphasized that one of the aims of the JITF as a carefully curated trade celebration is that it attempts to bridge economic disparities across the provinces. With over 100,000 visitors anticipated, this edition promises to be one of the largest and most vibrant yet, he noted.
The Chief Operating Officer of LECS, Husnie Rauf tracing back the roots of the JITF narrated as follows: “This Jaffna-based event started in 2002 when the peace process between the government and the LTTE was ushered in, where we had 150 companies going in from Colombo. After this initial stage, we could not continue the event because of many constraints, and the Jaffna Trade Fair could re-commence only in 2010, a year after the complete cessation of the conflict. This event was re-themed as the Jaffna International Trade Fair because of the renewed interest in Sri Lanka by the international community in terms of development and rebuilding the country as well as investment and re-introduced in 2010.”
“This trade fair played the role of an icebreaker bridging the North and the South at a time when feelings were still wounded soon after the end of the hostilities. Through this event, the companies from the South were able to garner the confidence to showcase their products in the North and expand their markets. It also gave the necessary exposure and boost for those in the North who wanted to develop their products and get the leveraging they needed internationally. We have had several success stories through this event. For example, there was a lady making Northern sweetmeats, and one of the leading hotels in Sri Lanka came and asked her to supply their hotel with her products. Similarly, there was a soft toy maker, and after just two years of participation, he got a collaboration with Canada. For the first ten years of this event, from 2010 to 2020, we have been working with the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce, offering free stalls for small and medium enterprises in Yalpanam. Today, looking back, we are happy that many of the small-scale business ventures are now high-scale in production and market reach. Thus, we hope the foundation for the next major contributions that the JITF will unfold will commence this year as the 2025 JITF unravels in Jaffna,” the LECS COO said.