Sri Lanka government has said that a trade pact with India is essential for Sri Lanka to boost development, generate revenues for government and create job opportunities for the youth.<br/><br/>Speaking to the press, Sri Lanka's Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama said that as a result of the proposed Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement with India, there will be more people coming in and setting up factories because they know that they have a market in form of India. <br/><br/>He added that even the Chinese would prefer us to have a free trade agreement with India so that Chinese companies can set up their factories here, use our labour and then export to India which is a huge market.<br/><br/>A group of Indian professionals and experts will be coming to Colombo on Friday to hold a workshop to educate the Sri Lankan professionals on the benefits of trade pact between the two countries and remove their doubts and apprehensions. The two countries are likely to sign the pact later this year following negotiations.