The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a resolution from the Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development recognising the Sri Lanka National Export Development Plan 2026–2030 as the country’s official strategic framework for export development and promotion.
The Plan was formulated by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders connected to the export sector. Technical assistance was obtained under the Asian Development Bank’s Policy-Based Lending Programme.
Cabinet recognition gives the Plan formal government status as the medium-term roadmap guiding export diversification and market development through 2030. It is expected to anchor programmes run by the EDB, the Board of Investment, and the industries ministry over the next five years.
The approval comes weeks after an ADB delegation reviewed the draft Plan with the EDB in April. The framework is also linked to the ADB’s $100 million export diversification programme, aimed at strengthening Sri Lanka’s external sector and diversifying its export base beyond traditional categories.
Sri Lanka’s export performance has come under renewed pressure this year amid a weaker rupee and disruption to global trade flows. March goods exports fell 4.94 percent year-on-year, prompting the EDB to push for a more structured medium-term strategy.
Source: The Island — May 6, 2026.
