Fifty-five members from Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Madurai will embark on a week-long visit to Sri Lanka in a bid to improve trade relations with the Tamil-dominant Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, The Hindu said.

A statement from the chamber said that the delegation will meet C.V. Wigneswaran, Chief Minister of the Northern Province, and Z.A. Nazeer Ahamed, Chief Minister of the Eastern Province.

The delegation will also participate in trade conferences, “Invest in the East 2016” and “Jaffna International Trade Fair 2016,” to be held in the Eastern and Northern provinces respectively.

Pointing out that trade between the two countries had grown tremendously after the free trade agreement in 2000, the chamber said that prospects were better for trade in garments, engineering goods, motor spare parts, building materials, chemicals and handicrafts.

The chamber said that it would contribute to the efforts being made the chief ministers of both the provinces to revive trade in their regions, which were severely affected by the prolonged civil war.

Facilities and concessions available at Trincomalee Export Processing Zone and Sampur Heavy Industrial Zone in Eastern Province and Achchuveli Industrial Estate in Jaffna would be explored during the visit, the statement added.

(With inputs from The Hindu)