Sri Lanka earned $1.43 billion from tea exports in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of over 9%, state media reported on Wednesday.

The country exported 245.79 million kilograms of tea in 2024, up from 241.91 million kilograms the previous year. According to Xinhua, Sri Lanka earned $5.84 per kilogram of tea exported on average.

Tea remains a key contributor to Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange earnings. Iraq was the largest importer of Sri Lankan tea, followed by Russia and the United Arab Emirates.