SRI LANKA LOGISTICS & FREIGHT FORWARDERS ASSOCIATION

Transcription

1 SRI LANKA LOGISTICS & FREIGHT FORWARDERS ASSOCIATION COUNTRY REPORT For 44 TH Executive Council Meeting of The Federation of Asia Pacific Air-cargo Associations in Kathmandu, Nepal 26 th 28 th July 2017

2 SRI LANKA LOGISTICS & FREIGHT FORWARDERS ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN : Mr. Jagath Pathirane VICE CHAIRMAN : Mr. Roshan Silva TREASURER : Mr. Dinesh Sri Chandrasekara IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRPERSON : Ms. Tania Polonnowita Wettimuny ADVISORY COUNCIL : Mr. Dushmantha Karannagoda Mr. Mohan S. Mohanadas Mr. Tony De Livera Mr. Niral Kadawatharatchie Mr. D R Hallock EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Ace Cargo (Pvt) Ltd Agility Logistics (Pvt) Ltd DHL Global Forwarding Lanka (Pvt) Ltd MAC Supply Chain Solutions (Pvt) Ltd Mack International Freight (Pvt) Ltd Maersk Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Speedmark Transportation Lanka (Pvt) Ltd SECRETARIAT Sri Lanka Logistics & Freight Forwarders Association No. 37 D, Torrington Avenue Colombo 07.

3 Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Capital - Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Commercial Capital - Colombo Official Languages - Sinhala, Tamil Language for inter-ethnic Communication - English Ethnic Groups - 73% Sinhala, 13.9% Tamil, 7.2% Moors - 4.6% Indian Tamils, 0.5% Others Independence - February 4, 1948 Total Area - 65,610 sq km Total Population - 21,277,597 (estimate 2012) Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces: 25 Districts. Each province is administered by a directlyelected provincial council.

4 OVERVIEW OF THE ECONOMY In 2016, the Sri Lankan economy grew by 4.4 per cent in real terms, amidst numerous global and domestic challenges. Unfavourable weather conditions that prevailed during the year adversely impacted economic activity, primarily in the Agriculture sector. Services related activities, which constitute 56.5 per cent of real GDP, grew by 4.2 per cent in 2016, on a year-on-year basis, supported by the expansion in financial services (12.4 per cent), insurance (8.5 per cent), telecommunications (8.3 per cent), as well as transportation (4.1 per cent) and wholesale and retail trade (2.5 per cent). Industry related activities, which account for 26.8 per cent of real GDP, recorded a notable growth of 6.7 per cent, year-on-year, driven by the subsectors of construction, and mining and quarrying, which grew by 14.9 per cent and 14.4 per cent, respectively, jointly contributing 10.0 per cent of GDP. Within the Industry sector, the growth in manufacturing activities was low at 1.7 per cent. The value addition in Services related activities grew by 4.2 per cent in 2016 compared to 5.7 per cent in All services activities, except for the professional services subsector, grew in The growth in the Services sector was primarily driven by a notable expansion in financial service activities and the developments in transportation of goods and passengers including warehousing activities. A notable growth of 12.4 per cent was recorded in the value-added in financial service activities and auxiliary financial services in The wholesale and retail trade subsector, which accounts for 10.6 per cent of GDP, grew at a moderate rate of 2.5 per cent in As the value added in the wholesale and retail trade subsector is susceptible to variations in agricultural and industrial production as well as imports, the decline in agricultural and manufacturing output in 2016 deterred trade activities during the year, as did the reduction in domestic demand as a result of the tightening of fiscal and monetary policies. Earnings from exports contracted in 2016 for the second consecutive year, mainly owing to the downward movement in commodity prices in the international market and modest economic recovery in Sri Lanka s major export destinations. Despite the positive growth recorded in the latter part of 2016, earnings from exports at US dollars 10,310 million reflected a decline of 2.2 per cent, from US dollars 10,546 million in 2015, led by the declines in agricultural and industrial exports during the first seven months of the year. Export earnings from coconut, rubber and seafood increased during the year partly offsetting the contraction in agricultural exports. Earnings from industrial exports, which account for around three fourths of total export earnings, contracted by 1.0 per cent to US dollars 7,940 million in 2016 in comparison to the previous year. Earnings from textiles and garments exports, which account for 47 per cent of total exports, increased by 1.3 per cent to US dollars 4,884 million in 2016, mitigating the impact of lower industrial exports to some extent. The USA remained the main export destination in 2016, accounting for 27.3 per cent of total export earnings. Exports to the USA totaled US dollars 2,810 million, of which 74.9 per cent was derived from garment exports and 8.7 per cent from rubber products. The external sector outlook is projected to gradually improve during the medium term with the adoption of appropriate policy measures to ensure external sector stability. The external current account deficit is expected to improve steadily with the projected developments in the external sector. Exports are projected to increase at a higher rate than imports, resulting in a narrowing of the trade deficit in the medium term. The rise in exports is projected to emanate from higher export oriented domestic production supported through improved trade linkages, including the reinstating of GSP+ concession and proposed trade and economic partnership agreements.

5 Expenditure on imports increased during 2016, with a significant increase in expenditure on intermediate and investment goods imports, particularly in the last quarter of the year. The benefit of low international commodity prices in the international market and the impact of the policy measures adopted by the government and the Central Bank to rationalize imports, were somewhat negated by the increase in imports of investment goods and non fuel intermediate goods. The significant growth in imports of machinery and equipment (20.3 per cent) and building material (16.0 per cent) led to an increase in the growth in imports of investment goods (13.8 per cent) which, in turn, was the key contributor to the growth of 4.2 per cent observed in the expenditure on non fuel imports. In addition, the growth in intermediate goods (2.4 per cent), such as textiles and textile articles, and diamonds, precious stones and metals, also contributed substantially to the increase in import expenditure. Despite the rise in expenditure on coal imports, the decline in expenditure on both crude oil and refined petroleum imports resulted in an overall decline in expenditure on fuel imports. In comparison to 2015, import expenditure on consumer goods declined by 8.4 per cent during the year, primarily due to the substantial decline of 41.5 per cent in expenditure incurred on the importation of personal vehicles. As a result of these developments, expenditure on imports increased by 2.5 per cent during the year to US dollars 19,400 million. Although India had been the main source of imports since 2001, China emerged as the key source in During the year, the overall import volume index increased by 7.9 per cent while the import price index declined by 5.1 per cent in US dollar terms reflecting deflationary trends in the global economy. China became the main import origin of Sri Lanka in 2016, accounting for 21.7 per cent of the total expenditure on imports. Expenditure incurred on Chinese imports increased by 13.6 per cent to US dollars 4,215 million in 2016, with increased expenditure on textiles and articles, machinery and equipment, building material, transport equipment and chemical products. Imports would also continue to increase, particularly with higher intermediate goods imports with the expected increase in global oil prices and higher demand for investment goods due to the projected increase in investment expenditure. The expansion of transport services contributed favourably towards the services account in Gross inflows on account of transportation services, which comprise passenger fares, freight charges, port and airport related activities, registered a growth of 6.9 per cent, to reach US dollars 2,250 million during the year. With the expansion in port related activities, inflows on account of freight charges, with respect to both port and airport related activities increased in Gross inflows from these services increased by 6.3 per cent to US dollars 1,177 million in 2016, mainly due to increased cargo, container and transshipment volumes handled at the port of Colombo. The major contributor to this expansion was increased operations at the Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), which surpassed the milestone volume of over 2 million TEUs in container handling during its second year of operations at full scale. Meanwhile, recognizing Sri Lanka s maritime capacity in the global arena, South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) was awarded the Best Terminal in South Asia by the Singapore based Global Ports Forum in February The rupee depreciated against all major currencies except the pound sterling in The depreciation pressure on the rupee was a result of increased imports, continued foreign debt service payments and outflows on account of reversal of foreign investments from the government securities market amidst monetary policy normalization in the USA. (Source Central Bank of Sri Lanka Annual Report)

6 OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY The BIA handled 64,693 aircraft movements that consisted of 58,790 scheduled movements and 5,903 unscheduled movements. The total cargo handling at the BIA was 253,941 MT in 2016, which is an 18.1 per cent increase in comparison to the previous year. Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) handled 916 aircraft movements in 2016 in comparison to the 884 aircraft handled in the preceding year. Throughout the year, 4,772 passengers used the MRIA in comparison to 2,739 passengers in There were 37 international airlines in the civil aviation sector, including nine charter airlines, SLA and three cargo lines, while seven domestic airlines were in operation by the end of The overall performance of port related services, which consists of handling containers, transshipments and cargo, improved in 2016, mainly supported by the increased operations at the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) and South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT). The total container handling in 2016 increased by 10.6 per cent to 5.7 million twenty foot equivalent container units (TEUs), from 5.2 million TEUs handled in The CICT handled mega container vessels that cannot be operated either at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) or SAGT. Container handling at the CICT and SAGT in 2016 increased by 28.2 per cent and 19.0 per cent, respectively, in comparison to that of the preceding year. However, container handling at the JCT and Unity Container Terminal (UCT), which are fully owned by the SLPA, recorded a negative growth of 6.8 per cent in 2016 in comparison to The total transshipment container handling recorded an 11.8 per cent growth during 2016 relative to the previous year. At the same time, total cargo handling registered a growth of 11.5 per cent to 86.5 million MT in 2016, in comparison to the growth of 4.3 per cent recorded in the previous year. Growth in total cargo handling was mainly supported by the cargo handling at CICT and SAGT at the Port of Colombo, which witnessed a growth of 26.6 per cent and 25.5 per cent, respectively. Cargo handling at the terminals of the SLPA registered a negative growth of 1.8 per cent in 2016 in comparison to the preceding year. Several measures were undertaken during 2016 to develop ports in Sri Lanka in order to exploit the country s potential as a maritime hub in the South Asian region. The ADB and the SLPA signed a transaction advisory services agreement in February 2016 to develop the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port as a PPP. The pre-qualification process of this PPP commenced with the public announcement for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in June The government is currently in the process of evaluating the EOI applications with the assistance of the ADB. Meanwhile, the construction work of the Colombo Financial City, which was earlier named as Colombo Port City Project (CPCP), was restarted in March The Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development has allocated around Rs. 94 million in 2017 to develop the infrastructure facilities of the proposed port city development project. Meanwhile, the SLPA has taken steps to prepare a master plan for national ports of Sri Lanka with the assistance of the ADB, aimed at developing the port infrastructure in an optimum manner considering the industries and hinterland economy, multimodal transport networks, harmonization with urban development as well as future port developments. The master plan covers all ports, including the restructuring of the SLPA, and addresses emerging business activities in oil and gas handling, passenger and cruise ship operations as well as transport sector development plans. Additional investments under a PPP are required to fully exploit the locational advantage of the Hambantota Port. The Hambantota Port is located at the intersection of major international shipping routes within the world s busiest maritime transportation lanes. The Hambantota Port development was initiated with the objective of developing it as an industrial port, given the land

7 availability in the area, geographical location and developed road networks. One of the key reasons for poor performance of the Hambantota Port is the lack of sufficient hinterland industries that augment port activities. Therefore, measures taken to attract FDI to set up factories and industries around the Hambantota Port through a viable PPP mechanism would enhance the performance of the Hambantota port allowing it to exploit its full potential as an industrial port. The financial performance of the Hambantota Port has been weak since the commencement of port operations in In 2016, the Hambantota port registered a loss of Rs billion before taxes, in comparison to the loss of Rs billion before taxes recorded in The poor financial performance of the Hambantota Port has threatened the financial viability of the project and affected the overall financial progress of the SLPA. Therefore, a PPP is imperative to develop a viable business model and ensure the efficient management of the port. The financial performance of the SLPA improved in As per the provisional financial statements, the SLPA recorded a profit of Rs. 1.0 billion in 2016 before taxes, in comparison to the loss of Rs billion before taxes recorded in The total revenue of the SLPA in 2016 has grown by 7.0 per cent to Rs billion, while the operating expenditure has declined by 7.5 per cent to Rs billion in comparison to the preceding year. However, since the SLPA has a substantial amount of foreign debt, the financial performance of the SLPA is significantly affected by the exchange rate movements. In 2016, the profit before foreign exchange losses stood at Rs billion, while the foreign exchange loss was Rs billion. Conversely, the profit before the foreign exchange losses was recorded as Rs. 6.0 billion in 2015, but the foreign exchange loss amounted to Rs billion. The foreign exchange losses arise due to the increase in rupee value of the foreign currency denominated liabilities caused by domestic currency depreciation. (Source Central Bank of Sri Lanka Annual Report)

8 INDUSTRY STATISTICS UPLIFT (Tons) DISCHARGE (Tons) Excluding Transshipment TRANSSHIPMENT (Tons) TTL (Tons) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Airfreight volumes show a clear year on year growth in the past several years. In the year 2016, Air freight import, export and transshipments cumulatively had a 13% growth compared to Air Imports alone had a 30% growth seconded by a 11% growth in Transshipments, while Air exports grew by 7% in the year Air Export and Air Imports achieved the highest volumes compared to last 5 years.

9 As a whole, Ocean freight volumes shows a steady increase, mainly due to its Transshipment Laden volumes. A closer look at the 2016 numbers reveal a 10% increase in laden import volumes and a 2% increase in Export laden Volumes compared to Further the transshipment laden Volumes increase is 15% in the same period. INDUSTRY REGULATION, PORT, CUSTOMS & OCEAN FREIGHT During the year under review SLFFA representatives met with the official of the Sri Lanka Customs (SLC), Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and Ceylon Association of Ships Agents (CASA) on numerous occasions to address industry related issues. Manifest Submission - The Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) agreed that they would open the accepting of CUSDECs 48 hours in prior to vessel arrival and though forwarders submit the manifest 72 hrs in prior, now forwarders have the facility of a further 24-hours to make amendments, a facility that forwarders did not have in prior for manifest reporters to ensure that the manifest is reported timely. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce held a meeting with all industry stakeholders along with Mr. Asoka Somarathne, attorney-at-law, and two ex-officials of the SL Customs. It was expressed by Mr. Somarathne that the 24-hour manifest request had not been included in the ordinance once again. Hence, due to time limitations to respond and for sake of proper analysis SLFFA was advised to seek legal counseling.

10 Manifest copies The management of the SLC decided to reduce the required number of manifest hard copies from five copies to a single manifest to be submitted to the D branch effective 6 th January Manifest Amending SLFFA is currently in the process of conducting discussions with the authority on minor and major manifest amending issues in order to standardize the process. Meeting with Director Logistics, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) During the year under review, representatives of the Association met with the Director Logistics of SLPA to discuss challenges faced by SLFFA members during day to day operations at the port and implementations as follows; Shortage of equipment/machinery and labor - Some equipment will be replaced and repairs to others will be expedited and trailer based option will be introduced to move cargo faster. SLPA will avoid double de-stuffing and the trailer-based option to transfer cargo to BQs which will minimize de-stuffing cargo delays. In the meantime they have already employed 20 additional laborers to improve the current situation. Warehouse and shortage issues CFS 1 is to be fully operational and CFS 3 and 5 are allocated for bonded cargo and to create more space, vehicles have been moved from Summer Hill to UCT. More space will be allocated with the implementation of the Megapolis plan in the future. Warehouse Management System (WMS) with bar-coding and racking system was implemented which will sort out the delay and added expenses incurred by users for cargo stacking/shifting and when de-stuffing. Automated systems were introduced to avoid additional costs and delays in assigning containers for examination due to high illegal drug detections at the Grayline yard. Green channel is given to selected importers for document submission and automate risk management was done to minimize manipulation and keep the element of surprise. Other Industry related matters During the year under review SLFFA addressed the following issues to CUSTOMS through the Ceylon Chamber, where follow up meetings will continue. Pre Arrival CUSDEC Processing Manifest Submitting Action to improve the ground level operations and to have an investigation unit for complaints - The recent BQs incident was channeled to the CID and the SLPA had transferred a number of staff from BQs to Peliyagoda to avoid such situations. The congestion at BQs due to the change in the operating system will be looked into and better organized. Warehouse facilities is expected to be further improved. DO fee complaints This has been an ongoing issue for SLFFA where some shipping lines continue to charge higher rates, whilst agreed rate between SLFFA and CASA approximates Rs SLFFA officially addressed this matter to CASA and it was subsequently informed by CASA that they were not in a position to impose an upper limit on their members. In the meantime, notice to SLFFA members were re-sent where it was requested to charge a rate

11 among members. However, when using the services of outside forwarders the final decision would be at an individual forwarders discretion. (Source Ocean Freight & Industry Regulations Sub-committee) AIR FREIGHT & AIR CARGO VILLAGE (ACV) Signing of MOU with ACV Users with the consent of the ACV Users, it was decided that SLFFA would sign individual MOUs with the ACV Users regarding payments for the rent and electricity of the security guardroom at the Air Cargo Village. Rent agreement at ACV The Airport & Aviation Services Ltd (AASL) increased the guardroom rent by 7.5% till December 2016 and a total increase of 22.5% for the next three years. Uplifting of the ACV warehouses and facilities With the increase in the rent at the ACV it was decided that SLFFA discuss with AASL on the uplifting of the facilities provided at the Air Cargo Village. In this regard, representatives of SLFFA had several meetings with officials of AASL to improve the amenities provided including washroom facilities at the ACV. In addition to ACV, SLFFA also heighted concerns over the BIA Terminal 2 expansion project since AASL had not considered Air Cargo growth for next 20 to 25 years. Meeting with Transport Minister Hon. Nimal Siripala The Association initiated a meeting with the Honourable Minster to discuss the various issues faced pertaining to the air cargo village. Matters relating to ACV rent charges and the facilities made available at the ACV were the primary matters discussed at the meeting. E-Airway Bill During the year under review it was reported that Etihad Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo had joined the e-airway billing system. However the overall view was that progress had been very slow in this regard as most other airlines still needed to get onboard with the system. UL monthly meetings In order to oversee the smooth operation of daily activities between the ACV occupants and Srilankan Cargo, Srilankan Cargo introduced monthly meetings with airport managers to discuss day-to-day operations. Budget Proposal During the year under review, SLFFA made submissions to the Ministry of Finance requesting to allow the corporate tax component of Freight Forwarders to remain at the lower rate of 14% which was accepted and incorporated into the 2017 budget proposals. This new tax will be applicable from financial year 2017/2018. Meeting with the Minister of Economic Affairs and the SL-China FTA SLFFA representative attended the meeting which was chaired by the Secretary to the Ministry was mainly to discuss the SL-China FTA, where China was requesting various relaxations in connection to the shipping and forwarding industry. The perception was that China was seeking the support of the government of Sri Lanka to liberalize the shipping and forwarding industry. It was intimated by the SLFFA representative the as the shipping and forwarding industry of Sri Lanka was considerably small there was no necessity for outsiders to come in to the local market.

12 SLFFA CARGO SERVICES LTD SLFFA Cargo Services Ltd, a commercial venture established by 26 members of the Association, operates an import cargo terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport. This is a unique operation managed by an independent management and Board. The Gross Profit of the Company increased by 5% from Rs million in the previous year to Rs million this year. The Net Profit of the Company increased by Rs. from Rs million in the previous year to Rs million this year. This could be attributed to an increase in apparel related cargo and also the efforts made to increase staff efficiency at all levels. The total turnover of the company increased by ^% from Rs million in the previous year to Rs million during the period under review. The chargeable weight of delivered cargo increased by 10.61% from M/kgs last year to M/kgs this year. The total number of consignments increased marginally to 46,699 this year. The income from Cool Room cargo during the year increased sharply by 46%. Shareholders transferred 64% of their cargo to SLFFA CS while SLFFA members brought in 35% and other 01%. This is a substantial increase of the cargo transferred by share-holders as compared to the previous year. This shows a substantial increase of the cargo transferred by shareholders as compared to the previous year. Administration and establishment costs increased from Rs million in the previous year to Rs million this year. The increase is lover that the previous year and included up-grading of resources by expanding the existing awning, fabricating of 24 steel bins for proper storage/delivery of fabric rolls. Other major cost factors were overheads such as rent, electricity, telephone expenses etc. The rent payable to AASL has a year on year increase of 10% and this year, it represents 29.19% of administrative expenses. The established staff cadre was enhanced to cater to handle the increase in apparel related cargo and minimize the delay in transfer/delivery of cargo. The interim dividend of 200% gross was declared and paid. The Board of Directors recommended a final dividend of 200%. The Company succeeded in maintaining efficiency levels inspite of a steady increase in the handling of fast moving cargo. The staff turn-around for the year increased sharply to 43% compared with 20% the previous year. The increase was particularly from out-sourced staff of cargo assistants and loader categories manly due to being attracted by higher salaries in and around the airport. Discussions with Customs and Srilankan Airlines to automate clearance of cargo from Terminal 2 itself were continued in addition to providing Customs at Terminal 2 with the required hardware and VPN facilities towards this goal. SLFFA CS held several discussions with the Ministry of Finance, SLPA and Customs to establish a fully fledged Cargo Handling Terminal (CHT) to be located at a suitable site at some point between BIA and the Colombo Port, ideally with rail link facilities. Subsequently, initial proposals have been submitted to Customs and SLPA seeking their approval in principle to operate the said CHT. The proposed facility will also serve as Vital Link Center for Hambantota air and ocean cargo which needs to move inbound between the respective airports and sea ports of Hambantota/Mattala and Colombo port/bia. Likewise air cargo received in will be transferred

13 inbound and held at this facility for delivery to consignees who so desire to clear out their cargo from this facility. It is expected to enhance the throughput of inbound and outbound logistics of ocean cargo in Sri Lanka. While accruing many benefits to the importers and exporters in the country, it is expected to enhance significantly, the international competitiveness of local exports and enhance the country s position as a regional distribution and logistics hub. Significant progress was made with the partnership with CCN Singapore with regard to offering Cargo Community Systems (CCS) services to the cargo community in Sri Lanka since the time SLFFA Cargo Services and CCN launched CCN s flagship product, CCNhub in May Currently, this industry initiative spear-headed by SLFFA and Srilankan Cargo has progressed slowly but steadily with over 20 leading freight forwarders and 5 leading airlines successfully executing e-awbs. IATA has also shown keen interest in guiding the industry with the participation of the Regional Head at progress meetings. The prospects look encouraging particularly at a time when the industry is moving towards automation in a paper-less environment and also the CCN being the only service provider currently in the market offering its reliable services through SLFFACS. (Source SLFFA CS Annual Report & Accounts ) SOCIAL ACTIVITIES SLFFA BALL The much awaited, the much anticipated SLFFA BALL 2016, was held in grand style on 4 th November 2016, at the Hilton Colombo Ballroom. This event was a sold out event and we wish to thanks SLFFA members for their continued support in all SLFFA event. The Main Sponsor for the event was South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT), while the Co- Sponsors were Hayleys Advantis and SLFFA Cargo Services. Platinum sponsors were Expolanka Freight (Pvt) Ltd, Freight Links International (Pvt) Ltd, Speedmark Transportation Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Aitken Spence Maritime Ltd and Qatar Airways Cargo. Gold sponsors for the event were Achievers Business School, C. H. Robinson Freight Services Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, CLS Group, Dialog Axiata, Dart Global Logistics & M&C Aviation, DHL Global Forwarding Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, EMG Spedition (Pvt) Ltd, Inter Air & Sea Logistics (Pvt) Ltd, Marine Transport Services (Pvt) Ltd, McLarens Group, Srilankan Cargo and Universal Freighters International (Pvt) Ltd. SLFFA is also extremely grateful to the Silver and Bronze sponsors as well as all other well wishers. SLFFA Cricket Sixes 2017 The very popular SLFFA Cricket Tournament where approximately 50 member company participate will be held in September 2017, at the internationally acclaimed Oval Cricket Stadium.

14 SECRETARIAT The SLFFA Secretariat continues its daily operations from its location at the office of SLFFA Cargo Services Ltd at No. 37D, Torrington Avenue, Colombo 07. The Sri Lanka Logistics & Freight Forwarders Association continues to work towards raising the standards within the industry in Sri Lanka and helping the member organizations and its personnel to receive the maximum benefits of the industry.