Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
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.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) successfully conducted a one-day training workshop titled “Enhancing Logistics Expertise: From Order Identification to Export Success” at the EDB. The program aimed to equip exporters and startups with essential logistics knowledge to streamline their export operations and improve their competitiveness in international markets.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) recently hosted a successful networking and knowledge-sharing session at its headquarters in Colombo 02. The event brought together 100 new exporters and entrepreneurs, including SME direct and indirect exporters, along with industry leaders from five key sectors Gem & Jewellery, Tea, Processed Food, Horticulture, and Fresh Fruits.
Sri Lanka has reached a significant milestone in its efforts to protect and promote Geographical Indications (GI), culminating in the establishment of the national GI registry. This event was officially held recently in Colombo, marking a major step forward in securing the authenticity and competitiveness of Sri Lankan products in international markets.
A workshop on “Exporting from Sri Lanka To Japan; Guide & Good Practices” was successfully conducted on 24th February 2025, at Hotel NH Collection, Colombo, through collaboration between the International Trade Centre (ITC) Geneva, Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), and Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL).
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 (SLEDB) organized a Market Exposure and Capacity Building Programme for seven SMEs, including four women entrepreneurs, parallel to the BIOFACH exhibition in Germany from 10th to 14th February, 2025. This programme was organized in collaboration with the Import Promotion Desk, Germany, and the Sri Lanka Embassy in Berlin.
Sri Lankan tech startups and scale-ups gathered at the EDB on 20th February 2025 for an insightful and empowering awareness session organized by the Export Services Division (EDB). The session was designed to provide local tech businesses with essential market entry strategies for Europe, with a particular focus on leveraging Berlin’s thriving startup ecosystem.
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.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), successfully conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme under the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, funded by UK International Development.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), successfully conducted a two day training on Branding and Digital Marketing under the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, funded by United Kingdom (UK) International Development. The training, held on 13th and 14th February 2025 in Colombo, was designed to enhance the branding, social media presence, and digital marketing capabilities of 40 export oriented women-led businesses.
The Sri Lanka Consulate General in Mumbai, in collaboration with the Export Development Board (EDB), promotes Educational co-operation between the Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai and several leading Sri Lankan institutions.
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.
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 Sri Lankan Embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), successfully organized an outward trade delegation to Saudi Arabia from 13th to 16th January 2025. This initiative aimed to promote Sri Lankan Food & Beverage (F&B) products in the KSA market and strengthen bilateral trade relations between Sri Lanka and KSA.
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.
