According to the latest report issued by the Economic Research Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, export earnings from the textile and apparel sector, one of Sri Lanka’s key export industries, declined during the first four months of 2026.
The report indicates that textile and apparel export earnings amounted to US$1,624.7 million during the period from January to April 2026, compared to US$1,751.8 million recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
As a result, earnings from textile and apparel exports decreased by 7.3 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s total export earnings recorded a slight increase during the first four months of 2026. Total export revenue rose to US$4,534.9 million, compared to US$4,315.6 million recorded during the same period in 2025.
However, import expenditure increased significantly during the period under review. The value of imports rose from US$6,572.9 million in the first four months of 2025 to US$8,227.9 million in the corresponding period of 2026.
This represents an increase of 25.2 percent. Consumer goods imports increased by 32.8 percent, while imports of intermediate goods and investment goods rose by 24.1 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively.
Accordingly, the country’s trade deficit widened to US$3,693 million during the January–April 2026 period, as import expenditure grew at a faster pace than export earnings.
