Sri Lanka’s garment sector, the country’s largest manufacturing employer and a leading earner of foreign currency, has posted a welcome upturn in September, but has fallen in the January to September period.
Apparel exports totalled $416.99 million in September 2026, a 3.47% gain on the $403.01 million recorded a year earlier.
The uplift came chiefly from firmer shipments to the United States and the European Union, the island’s two biggest apparel destinations.
The monthly rebound must nonetheless be weighed against the far weaker showing over the first nine months of the year.
Shipments from January to September came to $3,588.46 million, 5.52% below the $3,798.25 million achieved in the same period of 2025.
The gap of about $209.79 million underlines the scale of the task facing manufacturers, exporters and policymakers.
The US was the strongest of the major markets in September, with exports up 7.17% year on year at $172.03 million. Sales to the EU, excluding the United Kingdom, grew 6.5% to $132.46 million.
UK exports slipped 5.92% against September 2025 to $47.33 million, while shipments to other destinations eased 3.89% to $65.17 million.
Over the first nine months, UK exports dropped 10.85%, the sharpest fall among the main destinations.
EU shipments shrank 5.44%, and other markets recorded a 5.43% decline. US exports, despite September’s improvement, remained 3.69% behind last year’s level.
Yohan Lawrence, Secretary General of the Joint Apparel Association Forum, called September’s growth in the US and EU encouraging, but cautioned that exports are still more than 5% below last year’s performance.
He stressed the need for competitively priced, dependable energy and a supportive policy environment.
Image courtesy: SLAEL
