Sri Lanka’s tea exports declined marginally in April 2026, extending the subdued performance seen since the beginning of the year, as lower shipments of value-added products such as tea packets, tea bags, and green tea outweighed gains in bulk and instant tea exports.
Total tea exports for April stood at 17.97 million kilogrammes, a decrease of 0.23 million kilogrammes compared to 18.20 million kilogrammes recorded in the same month last year, according to industry data.
The decline was mainly driven by reduced exports of packaged tea, tea bags, and green tea, although bulk tea and instant tea segments recorded year-on-year growth during the month.
Despite lower volumes, export earnings in rupee terms remained broadly stable, supported by higher prices in the market.
The average free-on-board (FOB) value for April increased slightly to Rs. 1,760.95 per kilogramme, compared to Rs. 1,760.31 a year earlier.
However, in US dollar terms, overall FOB values declined, reflecting weaker global demand and currency-related pressures. Green tea was the only category to record an increase in dollar-denominated FOB value compared to April 2025.
For the January–April 2026 period, cumulative tea exports fell by 3.07 million kilogrammes year-on-year to 78.34 million kilogrammes, down from 81.41 million kilogrammes in the corresponding period of 2025.
Most export segments recorded declines during this period, except for instant tea and green tea, indicating continued weakness in Sri Lanka’s traditional value-added tea categories amid challenging global market conditions.
Meanwhile, the cumulative FOB value for the first four months rose to Rs. 1,796.64 per kilogramme, up from Rs. 1,743.61 a year earlier, although the dollar-denominated value fell to US$ 5.73 from US$ 5.87.
Among key export destinations, Iraq remained the largest buyer of Ceylon Tea despite an 11% year-on-year decline to 10.26 million kilogrammes.
Turkey recorded strong growth, with imports surging 128% to 9.78 million kilogrammes, making it the second-largest market.
Russia remained in third place with imports of 7.31 million kilogrammes, down 2.5% from the previous year.
Azerbaijan saw a 54% increase in imports to 4.06 million kilogrammes, while Libya recorded a sharp 56% drop to 3.34 million kilogrammes.
China’s imports rose 3% to 3.24 million kilogrammes, while the United Arab Emirates slipped to seventh place with 2.96 million kilogrammes.
Saudi Arabia, Chile, and the United States also remained among the top ten buyers of Ceylon Tea during the period.
