ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s agricultural production in paddy, fish, coconut, and rubber declined in April, the central bank said, while tea production increased due to favourable weather.
“Paddy production for the 2024/2025 Maha season, based on the sown extent as of end March 2025, is forecasted at 2.62 million metric tons, a 3.8% decline from the previous Maha season,” the central bank’s Agriculture Sector Data Bulletin for May 2025 said.
Fish production decreased by 0.1 percent year-on-year in April 2025, as a setback in inland fishing activities (30.5 percent decline year-on-year) was offset by improvements in marine fishing activities (9.7 percent increase), according to the bulletin.
Domestic coconut production in April declined by 6.2 percent year-on-year, but “the upward trend observed since February 2025 indicates a gradual recovery in output” CBSL said.
Domestic rubber production saw a year-on-year decline in April 2025, according to highly provisional data from the Rubber Development Department.
“Natural rubber prices in global markets saw a decline in April 2025 due to the steady growth of the tapping activities along with the limited demand for the commodity amid the ongoing uncertainty in the market due to the trade tariff.”
Meanwhile tea production increased. “Domestic tea production increased by 23.0% (y-o-y) during the month of April 2025, mainly attributed to favourable weather conditions.” (Colombo/May20/2025)
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