Chairman of the Export Development Board (EDB), Mangala Wijesinghe, announced that Sri Lanka will hold discussions with the United States before 1st of August in a bid to secure further relief from the 30% reciprocal tariffs imposed on Sri Lankan exports.
He said the local delegation participating in these talks will be officially announced soon.
Wijesinghe made these remarks during a meeting held on 12th of July at the Presidential Secretariat with stakeholders in the export sector, which was also attended by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
He confirmed that a Sri Lankan delegation is expected to travel to the United States within the next two weeks to engage in the negotiations.
The EDB Chairman also noted that the import of American goods into Sri Lanka will be part of the discussions.
On 9th of July the U.S. officially notified Sri Lanka of a 30% reciprocal tariff on all imports from the island nation. The White House sent an official letter to President Dissanayake confirming the decision.
This new tariff follows an earlier 44% duty announced on 2nd of April which included a grace period. That grace period ended on 9th of July and the new 30% tariff is scheduled to come into effect on 1st of August 2025.
In response, the Sri Lankan government is moving swiftly to negotiate further tariff concessions before the implementation date.
