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Chandigarh, January 20
The Regional Institute of Cooperative Management (RICM), Chandigarh, in collaboration with Unati Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Society, Hoshiarpur, Punjab organized the India–Sri Lanka Cooperative Dialogue on Trade and Capacity Building on January 20 at the RICM campus. The Dialogue was convened in the context of the visit of Dr. Shantha Jayarathne, Senior Consultant to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Minister of Cooperatives, Government of Sri Lanka and Director of National Institute of Cooperative Development, Sri Lanka brought together select cooperative leaders, representatives of cooperative institutions, and development practitioners from India.
The Dialogue aimed to provide a focused platform for interaction and exchange on strengthening cooperative-to-cooperative collaboration between India and Sri Lanka, particularly in the areas of trade, institutional partnerships, and capacity building. Welcoming the participants, the Director, RICM, Dr. Rajiv Kumar highlighted the deep historical, cultural, and institutional linkages between the cooperative movements of the two countries and emphasized the need for structured engagement to translate shared values into practical collaboration. Dr. Shantha Jayarathne, in his address, shared insights into Sri Lanka’s cooperative ecosystem, policy perspectives, and emerging opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
Key discussion themes included scope for cooperative-led trade in agriculture, value-added products, fisheries, and services; joint initiatives in training, leadership development, and exposure visits; and institutional collaboration between cooperative training and research institutions of both countries. The Dialogue concluded with agreement on identifying two to three concrete collaboration pathways, exploring pilot initiatives, and taking forward institutional MoUs and exchange programmes. The event marked an important step towards fostering sustained and mutually beneficial cooperation between the cooperative sectors of India and Sri Lanka.