Agriculture is synonymous with Sri Lanka, mainly due to ideal climate, soil conditions and as one of the most popular livelihoods.
Vegetable production plays a leading role in agriculture and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet.
Though people talk about subsistence vegetable farming or self-sufficiency in vegetable production, reliable information is not adequately available for decision-making.
Therefore, this paper attempts to reveal the current status of the country’s exports and imports of vegetables. In 2015, Sri Lanka has earned 37.2 million US$ from exporting vegetables (HS 07 edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers) placing the country at 81st place in world exports. However, at present the country’s vegetable exports have come to 0.1% share of the world’s exports. The country’s most popular vegetable exports include chili, gherkin, red onion, breadfruit, youngJack, moringa, pumpkin, and bitter gourd. For decades, the Maldives (16%) have been at the forefront of the country’s vegetable exports, while the United Arab Emirates
(15.1%) were the second largest buyer.
