Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) recently hosted the 25th Exporters’ Forum at its headquarters, providing a vital platform for exporters to voice their concerns and seek practical solutions to challenges faced in the export sector. Held on March 24, 2025, the Forum attracted a diverse group of stakeholders from the export industry.
Total exports, including both merchandise and services, reached at US$ 1,382.53 Mn in February 2025, marking a notable 4.62% year-on- year growth compared to February 2024. Additionally, exports recorded a 2.58% month-on-month increase compared to January 2025.
The Sri Lankan Export Development Board (EDB) is proud to host the newly launched SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub, marking a milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to support women entrepreneurs. As the host institution, EDB, in collaboration with ITC SheTrades, uses the SheTrades Outlook tool to monitor the policy environment and assess its support for women entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka.
The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Sri Lanka, in partnership with the Export Development Board (EDB), launched a pioneering initiative to position Sri Lankan craft products in the international marketplace the Creative Sri Lanka 2030: Matchmaking Pilot Program 2025. This transformative initiative aims to connect Sri Lanka’s rich craft heritage with the international market, fostering global opportunities for local brands and designers.
(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.
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 Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), the host institution of SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), recently facilitated the participation of Selyn Exporters (Pvt) Limited and Candle House Ceylon, two Sri Lankan women-led businesses, at Ambiente 2025, one of the world’s premier trade fairs for consumer goods held in Frankfurt, Germany. This initiative was part of the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, funded by the United Kingdom's (UK) International Development.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) successfully organized an awareness seminar on the New Exporter Development Programme on 18th February 2025 at the Techno Park of Eastern University, Sri Lanka, in Batticaloa. This event marked a significant milestone in the EDB’s efforts to enhance the export potential of entrepreneurs in the Eastern Province.
Mr. Marcus Pettersson, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Gothenburg, Sweden, visited the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) to discuss strategies aimed at strengthening bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Sweden on 17th January 2025.
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.
