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Decoded: Can another National Export Development Plan Succeed?

Writer: Team Arutha
Team Arutha
Oct 14
1 min read

The National Export Development Plan 2026-2030 has an ambitious target of  increasing export revenues by 80% within 5 years. Export revenue from goods and services amounted to US$ 20 billion in 2025 and the NEDP aims to reach US$ 36 billion in export revenue by 2030.


Sri Lanka’s previous national export development plan from 2018-2022 was 42% below target with revenues in 2022 at only US$ 16 billion. The 2022 target was US$ 28 billion.


The NEDP 2018-2022 failed due to many reasons;

  • Shocks such as the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic created major disruptions to the business environment.

  • The deterioration of the economy from 2021 onwards due to the debt crisis continued to affect the business environment.

  • Inter-agency coordination was weak and fragmented leading to delays and blocks on many policy initiatives.

  • Sri Lanka did not secure any major trade agreements during this period to expand its market access successfully.

  • The export sector struggled with high production costs and low productivity.


The success of the NEDP 2026-2030 would therefore depend on comprehensively addressing these barriers through systematic reforms.


 
 
 

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