Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
(Colombo/Geneva) – On 14 March, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) are launching the SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub, funded by the UK’s SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme.. The hub will serve as a resource centre to equip women entrepreneurs with the skills, market access, and policy support required to successfully navigate international trade dynamics, fostering greater participation in global trade.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) successfully organized a country pavilion at BioFach 2025, the world’s largest annual organic trade fair, held from 11th to 14th February 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany. Nine Sri Lankan export companies participated in the event, showcasing a diverse range of certified organic agricultural products, including food & beverages, spices, tea, coconut-based products, fruits & vegetables, and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certified Ceylon Cinnamon products.
With over 400 certified organic exporters/ processors and more than 12,000 organic producers, Sri Lanka’s organic sector contributes over $0.5 billion annually to the national economy. By aligning regulations with international standards, the country aims to strengthen its credibility in the global organic market and unlock new trade opportunities. Key organic exports include tea, coconut-based products, spices, traditional rice, herbal products, and nutraceuticals.
Sri Lanka’s exports have surged past $1.3 billion in January 2025, marking a strong and promising start to the year! This remarkable growth reflects the resilience, innovation, and competitiveness of Sri Lankan industries, paving the way for sustained economic success.
The National Organic Control Unit (NOCU), the competent authority for organic agriculture in Sri Lanka under the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), launched its ambitious, island wide initiative of awareness programmes to promote organic farming practices recently. As part of the national programme, the first awareness programme planned for 2025 was held successfully in Jaffna on the 21st of January at J Hotels. The event drew an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 100 participants. Attendees, representing diverse sectors within the agriculture industry, engaged in interactive sessions that emphasized NOCU’s pivotal role in fostering a trustworthy organic agriculture value chain. The participants, representing various sectors of the agriculture industry, gained valuable insights into organic farming, processing methods, market opportunities, standards, and international certification procedures.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Union (EU), has commenced the Sri Lanka Export Excellence Initiative (SLEEI) 2025. Supported under EU's regional initiative 'Accelerating Climate Smart and Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia (ACSIIS)’ as part of the EU Global Gateway Strategy, the SLEII is a strategic initiative to enhance the export capabilities of Sri Lankan SMEs. This initiative includes three components: I: ExpoNavigator for awareness raising and training, II: ExpoScaleUp for capacity-building and export marketing planning, and III: ExpoConnect for market access support through trade fairs and B2B meetings.
The International Trade Centre (ITC), in collaboration with the British High Commission in Colombo and the SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub, hosted by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), launched two sector-specific export handbooks aimed at equipping Sri Lankan women-led businesses with essential knowledge to enter the United Kingdom (UK) market. The launch event which, held on 27th January at Westminster House in Colombo convened key stakeholders from Sri Lanka and the UK to mark this significant milestone in trade facilitation.
As per the provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Customs, the merchandise export performance in December 2024 amounted to US$ 1,042.5 million, reflecting an 4.06% increase compared to December 2023. This was mainly due to the increase in earnings from export of Apparel & Textiles, Tea, Rubber based products, Coconut based products, Spices & Concentrates and Food & Beverages.
The 26th Presidential Export Awards Ceremony, aimed to recognize best exporters in Sri Lanka, will be held on 7th February 2025 with the sponsorship of Sampath Bank PLC as the Platinum Sponsor. Further DFCC Bank PLC and the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation (SLECIC) will be the Silver Sponsors of the event. These sponsors have joined hands with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) to support the event.
The 26th Presidential Export Awards Ceremony, organized by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), will take place on Friday, February 7, 2025, at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) under the patronage of His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
The Export Development Board (EDB) successfully conducted a networking and knowledge sharing session for the women entrepreneurs registered under the “Women Entrepreneurship Development Program” recently at the EDB-NDB Tower, Colombo 02. The event addressed one of the key barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, lack of networking opportunities with industry leaders.
In a significant development for Sri Lanka’s Fair trade sector, a stakeholders' meeting was recently held in Colombo in December 2024, organized by the Export Development Board (EDB) and the Fairtrade Network of Asia Pacific Producers (NAPP), Sri Lanka. The meeting aimed to discuss the main projects currently executing, future of Fairtrade in Sri Lanka, issues pertaining to the sector and its expanding international presence.
Total exports for November 2024, including both merchandise and services, were recorded at US$ 1,269.33 million, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.04% compared to the same period in 2023.
Australian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka H.E. Paul Stephens and his team met Mr. Mangala Wijesinghe, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of EDB to strengthen bilateral trade relations between Australia and Sri Lanka.
The United Kingdom (UK)-Sri Lanka Trade Mission, part of the UK Government-funded SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, is connecting 13 UK companies with 45 Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs on 02nd – 06th December 2024.
As per the provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Customs, the merchandise export performance in October 2024 amounted to US$ 1,097.1 million, recorded an increase of 18.22 % compared to the month of October 2023. This was mainly due to the increase in earnings from export of Apparel & Textiles, Tea, Rubber based products, Coconut based products and Spices & Concentrates.
In a strategic move to bolster Sri Lanka’s exports and enhance the international competitiveness of SMEs in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) signed a cooperation agreement with International Finance Corporation (IFC) launching the Sri Lanka Export Excellence Initiative (SLEEI).
European Union (EU) Ambassador to Sri Lanka Her Excellency Carmen Moreno reiterated their unwavering commitment to uplift the island’s economic conditions by engaging in fruitful collaborations. The Ambassador made these remarks when she made a courtesy call on the newly appointed EDB Chairman Mr. Mangala Wijesinghe on the 07th November, 2024, together with the Deputy Head of Mission Mr. Lars Bredal.
As a strategic move to develop a mechanism for addressing challenges in the export value chain, the Export Development Board (EDB) has established a Trade Facilitation Task Force. The first meeting was held on October 29 at the Export Development Board.
As per the provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Customs, the merchandise export performance in September 2024 amounted to US$ 937.95 million, recorded a decline of 3.49 % compared to the month of September 2023. This was mainly due to the decrease in earnings from export of Tea, Rubber based products, Electrical & Electronics and Seafood.
