Sri Lankan exports grow 6.2pc in 2013
Friday, 24 January 2014
COLOMBO, Jan 23 (Xinhua): Sri Lanka's exports in 2013 had a healthy rebound, growing by 6.2 per cent to US$10.3 billion after having suffered a dip of 7.0 per cent in the 2012, the Industry and Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
According to the latest provisional figures of the Export Development Board (EDB), cumulative exports earnings in 2013 stood at $10,379.94 million, growing by 6.2 per cent from 2012's annual export revenues of $9.7 billion.
High-performing export 'drivers' were agriculture products, apparels and industrial goods, which contributed to the turnaround.
Tea and fisheries product sectors made strong gains in 2013 with tea especially getting higher prices despite producing roughly the same volume, the statement said.
As a year-on-year basis agriculture products grew by 10.3 per cent to $2.5 billion, while Sri Lanka's largest export apparels grew by 13.31 per cent to $4.5 billion.
Export crops rose by 42.9 per cent to $522 million, and industrial products rose by 4.91 per cent to $7.6 billion.
Tea surged year-on-year by 9.22 per cent to $1.5 billion and fisheries products rose by 19.14 per cent to $244 million.