Plantations & Agriculture

A long-time economic mainstay and the country’s primary employer, the agriculture sector makes up 9% of Sri Lanka’s GDP and is a significant source of foreign exchange. With the exception of rubber, all of the country’s major agricultural exports saw growth between 2010 and 2015. Export earnings increased during the same period, with agricultural exports comprising around one quarter of the total. The sector includes an established plantation segment, producing mainly tea, coconut and rubber, and a less-established food crop production segment, which produces fruits, vegetables and other crops, predominantly for domestic consumption.

This chapter contains interviews with Navin Dissanayake, Minister of Plantation Industries; and Jayantha Karunaratne, Chairman,Tea Exporters Association.