Total cargo rose to 8.24 million tonnes in 2025, driven by sharp growth in container and RORO volumes.

ECONOMYNEXT – As Julie Chung, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, prepares to depart Sri Lanka on next week after nearly four years, her tenure stands out as one of the most active and influential in recent diplomatic history. Arriving in February 2022, just as Sri Lanka plunged into its worst economic crisis since independence, Chung navigated a landscape of protests, political upheaval, and recovery efforts.

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s deputy finance minister has defended the central bank’s 5 percent inflation target, saying it reflects the structural characteristics of a developing economy. “To a developing and open economy like Sri Lanka a 5 percent inflation target is most suited as it faces a greater exposure to external shocks, supply side disruptions, and exchange rate volatility,” Anil Jayantha told parliament. He was responding to a query raised by opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake on why the government chose a 5 percent target over a 2 percent target seen in most nations.

COLOMBO — Playful 7-year-old Thinuli loved accompanying her father to his chena fields in a remote village in Hambantota, in Sri Lanka’s deep south. In August, she joined him as usual, eager to help…

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For a country that prides itself on self-sufficiency, Sri Lanka’s struggle to keep rice both affordable and available has become a recurring national drama. Long seen as the backbone of food security, the rice industry has weathered turbulent seasons — from erratic weather and disrupted harvests to sudden policy shifts and market shocks. In the latest Maha season, 701,453 hectares were cultivated, producing 2.7 million metric tonnes of paddy.

A lifting of a Sri Lankan ban on vehicle imports results congestion and delays.