Company filings and market news from across Sri Lanka's stock market.
Tea saw mixed signals: the June national sales average fell to Rs 1,153.49, while June production rose 4% YoY but first-half output was hit by extreme weather and higher fertiliser costs. Exporters gained relief as the US labour-related tariff on Sri Lankan goods was cut to 10%. Meanwhile, new EU sustainability rules are driving compliance efforts, and plantations report organised theft of high-value crops hurting competitiveness.
Auto-generated from 33 sector news articles over 30 days. Not investment advice.
The National Chamber of Exporters warns labour shortages are hurting Sri Lanka's export sector and urges urgent action; 143,087 Sri Lankans have left for overseas employment in 2026 so far and the SLBFE aims to secure 250,000 placements this year. Labour force participation is 49.2% and unemployment 3.7%.
The Sri Lanka Tea Board says it has already submitted the Geographical Indication (GI) application for Ceylon Tea to the EU and that the application is at its final stage of evaluation. It clarifies the domestic GI application will be submitted after EU registration as part of an agreed strategy with NIPO and CIRAD.
COOPFED signed MoUs with Lanka Sugar and BCC Lanka to supply 1,000 mt/month of brown sugar and 20,000 liters/month of bottled coconut oil (plus soap and other products) for distribution through 3,500 cooperative retail outlets, with plans to expand to 10,000 by 2029.
Headline inflation in Colombo rose to 7.3% year-on-year in July 2026, up from 6.8% in June, driven by a jump in food inflation to 6.3% (from 3.6%). Non-food inflation moderated to 7.8% from 8.4%.
Court of Appeal fixed 2 October to hear objections in a petition seeking to bar regulators from approving rice and sugar as primary ingredients in beer production. Petitioners say the practice breaches the Excise Ordinance (beer defined as malt-based) and could divert subsidised rice, harming food security.
ADRA Ceylon is shifting from conventional bulk tea exports to a solutions-provider model offering private-label manufacturing, customised blends, bubble-tea bases and wellness infusions to capture higher-value global markets and support stronger export earnings for Sri Lanka's tea sector.
EDB's National Packaging Centre ran a workshop on cinnamon packaging and EU PPWR compliance on 22 July, attended by nearly 100 participants. The session stressed PPWR enforcement (in force 11 Feb 2025; fully enforced 12 Aug 2026) and urged exporters to eliminate PFAS/heavy metals, prepare Declarations of Conformity and register under EPR schemes.
EDB's National Packaging Centre and the Export Agriculture Division ran a workshop on 22 July 2026 for nearly 100 participants on cinnamon packaging and compliance with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), fully enforced from 12 Aug 2026. Presenters urged exporters to eliminate PFAS and heavy metals, prepare EU Declarations of Conformity, ensure operator identification and register under EPR schemes.
S&P affirmed Sri Lanka's sovereign ratings at 'CCC+/C' with a stable outlook on July 27, 2026, and upgraded the transfer and convertibility assessment to 'B-'; it flagged a heavy interest-to-revenue burden (~45.6%). The agency noted resilient GDP growth but vulnerabilities from high debt, external shocks (Middle East war, Cyclone Ditwah) and a 100bp policy-rate hike to anchor inflation.
Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher, the ASPI rose 0.20% (41.92 pts) to 21,229.14 and turnover was Rs 2.02bn with retail leading at Rs 1.04bn. SANASA Life said escrow proceeds were released and invested in government securities, and Odel restarted construction on Zone 1 of its mall with completion expected in 1.5-2 years.
Talawakelle Tea Estates' Somerset estate sold a single lot for Rs. 3,050/kg in March 2025, the highest price for the region. The estate also generated 3,622,254 kWh from its 1,100 kW hydro plant in FY2025/26 and has introduced digital weighing, cloud monitoring and drone fertiliser use.
Agro Green Harvest Cultivation (Pvt) Ltd won the Platinum Excellence in Agricultural Impact & Rural Development Award on 5 April 2026, recognising its contributions to sustainable agriculture and rural empowerment. The company operates across coconut husk chips, crop cultivation, compost, livestock and exports fruits, vegetables and spices.
Pussalla Agri Ventures (Pvt) Ltd won the Sustainable Agriculture Infrastructure Award at the Sri Lankan Sustainability Awards 2026 for its sustainable organic cinnamon production and integrated farm-to-packaging value chain. The company holds EU Organic, USDA Organic, SL-GAP, Food GMP and Cosmetic GMP certifications and emphasises soil conservation, biodiversity and traceability.
Sri Lanka and India held talks to resolve implementation challenges in Indian-funded development projects, including review of projects financed under a US$450 million loan and grant for disaster recovery. Participants discussed renewing agreements and creating a dedicated unit in the Presidential Secretariat to monitor project progress.
The National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO) said Sri Lanka has not yet received an application to register Ceylon Tea as a Geographical Indication (GI). NIPO urged producer bodies to organise for GI registration, noted only Ceylon Cinnamon has GI status, and said Sri Lanka is pursuing accession to the Lisbon Agreement to strengthen recognition.
Pelwatte Dairy Industries broke ground on a Greenfield liquid milk manufacturing facility in Kurunegala, scheduled to open in July 2027. The plant will produce plain and flavored fresh milk, expanding Pelwatte from milk powder into liquid dairy to strengthen local supply and support farmers.
Hayleys PLC (via Hayleys Plantations) has partnered with UNDP BIOFIN to implement Payment for Ecosystem Services projects across its estates, covering Talawakelle Tea Estates, Horana Plantations and Kelani Valley Plantations. Projects include watershed conservation, biodiversity-restoration with tourism integration and a PES model evaluation.
Hayleys Plantations, partnering with UNDP BIOFIN, is advancing Payment for Ecosystem Services projects at Talawakelle Tea Estates (Great Western, Wattagoda), Horana Plantations' Bambarakelly Estate and Kelani Valley's Halgolla Estate to fund watershed protection, biodiversity restoration and tourism-linked conservation.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to formulate a program to allocate underutilised State land, with project support, to Sri Lankan migrant workers returning from overseas. He also reviewed 2026 plantation projects, urged completion of 10,000 Malayagam houses, ordered land-agreement reviews and noted improved profitability at six State plantation entities.
The ASPI fell 1.09% (232.67 pts) over the week and the S&P SL20 declined 0.95% (57.12 pts). Declines were led by JKH, HNB, CINS, GRAN and BREW while a large negotiated crossing in UML supported market activity; weekly turnover was Rs.2.45bn and foreigners were net buyers of Rs.1.07bn.
Ceylon Chamber of Commerce welcomed the reduction of the US labour-related tariff on Sri Lankan exports from 12.5% to 10%. The chamber said the cut provides relief to exporters and called for continued dialogue with the US to secure a longer-term framework to reduce uncertainty.
The U.S. Trade Representative will apply a 10% tariff on imports from Sri Lanka under Section 301. The Exporters Association of Sri Lanka welcomed the outcome as preserving exporters' competitiveness—particularly in apparel—and urged pursuit of a comprehensive bilateral trade arrangement with the U.S.
The US labour-related tariff on Sri Lankan exports has been reduced from 12.5% to 10%, a move the Ceylon Chamber says will relieve exporters. The Chamber welcomed the outcome and urged continued dialogue to secure longer-term market access stability.
SEC, CSE and CA Sri Lanka signed an MoU to implement XBRL-based reporting for companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, targeting rollout in the latter part of 2026. The CSE has procured and customised the XBRL platform and is completing UAT while a joint committee finalises the taxonomy and implementation framework.
The US has imposed a 10% Section 301 tariff on Sri Lankan goods under a forced-labor import ban, raising effective apparel tariffs to about 26.5% and rubber product duties to roughly 12–15%. The US remained Sri Lanka's top export destination, with US$1,436.85m of exports in H1 2026 (~20.3%).
The U.S. will impose new 'forced labor' tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, including Sri Lanka, replacing an expiring temporary 10% tariff; the duties take effect as the temporary levy expires, with goods in transit exempt until July 28.
Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.13% to 21,172.74 with market turnover of Rs 2.45 billion, led by retailing at Rs 1.036 billion. Melstacorp and Carson Cumberbatch were among positive contributors while HNB, Ceylinco Insurance and Ceylon Grain Elevators were top negatives.