India overtakes UK as Sri Lanka's 2nd-largest export market
Business
India just overtook the UK as Sri Lanka's second-biggest export market from January to April 2026.
Exports to India grew nearly 9% and hit $364 million, even with a tiny dip in April.
The US still holds the top spot, taking in about 22% of Sri Lanka's merchandise exports and growing by over 3% this April.
April exports up 6% to $1.38B
Sri Lanka's total exports jumped 6% year-over-year in April, reaching $1.38 billion. Coconut-based products were a big win: activated carbon earnings soared by over 58%.
Services like finance also saw huge growth. But not everything was rosy: apparel and textile exports dropped almost 5%, mainly due to fewer shipments to big markets like the US and the EU, and tea exports slipped too, especially to places like Iraq and the UAE.