News & market updates

Adviser Duminda Hulangamuwa said the 2026 Budget aims to restore the private sector as the "engine of growth" by mobilising private capital, offering tax incentives and institutional reforms to boost investment. He highlighted landmark laws (PPP, SOE, Strategic Development Projects, Port City) and a land bank to unlock projects including mining, plantations and wind power.

Namunukula Plantations PLC appointed Saman Doranegama as its Acting Chief Executive Officer; he will continue to serve as CEO of Kegalle Plantations PLC.

The EDB organized Sri Lanka’s national pavilion at the 8th CIIE in Shanghai (5–10 Nov 2025), featuring 16 companies across food, tea, gems and consumer goods and drawing strong international buyer interest and new business inquiries.

Sri Lanka will draft a law to protect investors against expropriation and has referred a cabinet-approved concept paper to the Legal Draftsman to prepare a bill. The bill implements a 2026 budget proposal, which also included a wage hike for privatized plantations and a threat not to renew some leases.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's 2026 budget frames IMF-linked reforms to stabilise recovery, citing 4.8% growth in H1 2025 and reserves above $6bn while aiming to bring debt below 90% of GDP by 2032. It advances FDI-friendly rules, PPPs, SOE reform, tariff liberalisation and a $15bn digital push, keeps cost-reflective energy pricing and VAT changes, and includes measures that could hurt plantations and small businesses.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya pledged to raise plantation workers' daily wage to Rs.1,750 from January 2026 and set targets to lift made tea production to 400 mnkg and export earnings to $2.5bn by 2030.

SLYCAN Trust hosted a 'Plant-Based Gastronomy' reception promoting Sri Lanka's plant-based culinary heritage and its role in sustainable tourism, and launched a Compendium identifying ten local high-protein crops to support entrepreneurs and the hospitality sector.

Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC's Bogawana estate is the world's first producer of climate-positive tea and targets net removal of 0.40 kg CO₂e per kg of tea by 2025. The estate also uses hydropower/solar, runs reforestation and community projects (Rs.22m water project) and exports to 30+ countries.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said estate worker wages will be raised to 1,750 rupees a day (1,550 rupees basic from Jan 2026 plus a 200-rupee daily government incentive), and the government will allocate 5,000 million rupees for this.

Sunshine Holdings PLC reported consolidated revenue of Rs. 32.3 billion in 1H FY26, up 7.4% YoY, and group EBIT rose 18.6% to Rs. 5.5 billion with gross margin expanding to 31.9%. Healthcare remained the largest revenue contributor while Agribusiness (Watawala Plantations) saw revenue up 21.9% and sharply improved margins.

Flexiprint Ltd. won the Silver award in the Extra-Large National Manufacturing category at the CNCI Achiever Awards 2025. The company was also named among the Top 10 extra-large manufacturers and highlighted its certifications (FSSC 22000 V6, ISO 14001:2015, PEFC) and export markets.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh agreed to deepen cooperation on maritime connectivity, trade and green tourism, including a proposal for direct port connectivity between Colombo and Chattogram to cut shipping costs. They also advanced talks on investment in infrastructure, EPZs/SEZs, ICT/tech corridor, pharma registration and renewable energy collaboration.

Sunshine Holdings reported consolidated 1HFY26 revenue of LKR 32.3bn, up 7.4% YoY, and group EBIT rose 18.6% to LKR 5.5bn. Healthcare contributed 53.7% of revenue; agribusiness (Watawala) revenue rose 21.9%, and gross profit margin expanded 153bps to 31.9%.

National Sales Average (NSA) of tea in October fell month-on-month to Rs.1,177.14/kg (USD 3.87) but was up Rs.4.99 year-on-year. Year-to-date NSA is Rs.1,161.99 (down Rs.74.93 vs 2024); tea export earnings rose 17% in September to $137m and to $1.16bn in the first nine months.

Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's net profit fell 17.9% to Rs. 17.0 billion in 1H2025 as turnover dropped 19.3% to Rs. 439.5 billion, driven by lower global oil prices and a stronger rupee. CPC also cut dues to Iran to $130.96m by end-June via ongoing tea-for-oil settlements.

Cable Solutions PLC appointed Rashmini Mather as a Non-Executive Independent Director. Mather is Head of Strategic Communications and Partnerships at Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company and has over 20 years' communications experience, including authoring Sri Lanka's Tourism Vision 2025.

Thirteen labour unions submitted 18 policy-focused proposals for the 2026 Budget calling for labour-law reforms, forensic audits of SOEs (including Sri Lanka Telecom), retention of EPF management at the Central Bank, and a Rs.1 levy-funded social security scheme for gig workers.

Dividend · Rs 1.70 · XD Nov 14, 2025

First Interim dividend of LKR 1.7/share; XD 2025-11-14; record 2025-11-16; payable 2025-12-03; FY 31st March 2026

Browns Plantations has commissioned an expanded orthodox tea facility at Kitumbe, Kenya with 3 million kg annual capacity and aims for 25 million kg in East Africa within 18 months. The move targets higher‑value orthodox exports and expands the company's specialty tea footprint.

Ceylon Petroleum Corporation reduced its debt to the National Iranian Oil Company to US$130.6m by June 2025 from US$191m a year earlier via a Tea-for-Oil barter agreement. The Finance Ministry report said the settlements and supplier borrowing reflect forex shortages and liquidity measures that have suppressed interest rates.

Ceylon Tea Brokers (CTBL.N0000) has signed a share sale agreement to sell 100% of Logicare to DP Logistics for Rs. 635.3 million (enterprise value Rs. 1.3 billion), marking its full exit from the logistics subsidiary to focus on core tea broking.

Sri Lanka average coconut prices rose 0.86% to Rs129,171.51 per 1,000 nuts at a weekly auction on Oct 30; 288,464 nuts were sold and local wholesale large-nut prices were Rs175–185 (retail Rs181.50–215).

Horana Plantations PLC (part of Hayleys) launched T-SHADE, a Verra-registered shade-tree carbon credit pilot that has restored 55 hectares and planted 7,094 shade trees and aims to scale to 100,000 hectares over a 40-year crediting period.

Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum (SLAF) and India's BioAgri Inputs Producers Association (BIPA) signed an MoU in Colombo to collaborate on biological agriculture, including evaluating biostimulants, biofertilizers and bioprotection technologies and developing research and regional standards.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board will hold the 27th Presidential Export Awards on 11 Dec 2025 at BMICH to honor top exporters for FY2024/25; 66 awards will be presented and People’s Bank is the platinum sponsor, with Sri Lanka Tea Board and SLECIC as silver sponsors.

Flexiprint (Pvt) Ltd won the Silver award in the Extra-Large Category — National Level Manufacturing Sector at the CNCI Achiever Awards 2025. The award recognizes quality, productivity, R&D, employee benefits and ESG; Flexiprint supplies teabag packaging and labels to local tea exporters and international markets.

NDB Bank launched the Tea Manufacturer Finance Programme offering low-interest working-capital and long-term loans with instant disbursements based on Goods Received Notes and simplified documentation to support tea producers and exporters.

NDB PLC launched a Tea Manufacturer Finance Program offering low-interest funding, instant GRN-based loan disbursements and simplified documentation to help tea producers and exporters access working capital or long-term financing.

Hatton Plantations PLC said parent Lotus Renewable Energy sold 8.4m ordinary shares (3.56% of issued) to Durga Infra for Rs.247.9m (Rs.29.40/share). Lotus remains top shareholder (75.65% as of 30 June 2025) and HPL's NAV per share was Rs.21.64 on that date.

Alpha Fire Services PLC appointed Menaka Athukorala as Non-Executive Chairman. He has over 30 years of experience in plantation management, renewable energy and corporate leadership.