The new Rs 46 million administration building of Board of Investment’s Horana Export Processing Zone was ceremonially opened by BoI Director General Sanjaya Mohottala recently. The event was attended by a large number of investors, Government officials and the Senior BOI officials. Addressing the ceremony Mohottala stated that the biggest challenge for the country was to maintain the GDP rate at 6% for next 10 years to reach the targeted level of development. “The main role of the BOI is to uplift the economy of the country by attracting Foreign Direct Investment and for that we need to provide with necessary infrastructure facilities for the investors’, he said. “Further healthy investment climate should be created in the country. We have to be more proactive instead of reactive” he added. He further said that BOI’s responsibility is to provide with more efficient services to the investor community. He further stated that the steps are being taken to develop the thrust sectors for investment such as Pharmaceuticals, Agricultural processing, ICT, Aquaculture and Rubber. Chairman of HDDS (Pvt) Ltd H D De Silva, Executive Director, BOI M K D Lawrence, and Senior Deputy Director BOI Sujeewa Thilakumara also spoke at the occasion. Horana Export processing Zone was established in 1999 on a 390 acre land of which 181 acres are allocated for industrial purposes. The zone’s enterprises have a significant impact on the local economy as they provide direct employment to 3375 people and indirect employment for double that number. The zone promotes the Government’s objective of developing regional industrialization. The total export revenue of the zone was Rs 8.6 billion in 2019. There are 21 enterprises in commercial operation at the Horana EPZ involved in manufacture of Apparel & accessories, Food, Wooden, Consumer, Steel & Aluminum and Plastic products.