Sri Lanka tea exports fell by 2.02 million kilograms in June 2026, led by a sharp decline in packeted tea and other value-added products.
Sri Lanka tea exports fell by more than 2 million kilograms in June 2026, with packeted tea recording the sharpest decline, according to Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers.
Total shipments dropped to 21.25 million kilograms from 23.27 million kilograms in June 2025. This represented a year-on-year fall of 2.02 million kilograms.
Bulk tea was the only export category to record growth, while every other segment declined. The Tea Exporters Association published the figures using Forbes & Walker data.
Sri Lanka Tea Exports Hit by Packeted Tea Decline
Bulk tea exports increased slightly from 8.57 million kilograms to 8.88 million kilograms. However, packeted tea exports fell sharply from 11.83 million kilograms to 9.66 million kilograms.
Tea bags, instant tea and green tea exports also declined compared with June 2025. The figures show that the overall fall came mainly from value-added tea categories rather than bulk shipments.
Meanwhile, the average rupee price per kilogram rose to Rs. 1,871 in June 2026. This marked an increase of Rs. 157.06 from Rs. 1,714 a year earlier.
However, the average price declined by USD 0.12 when measured in US dollars, despite the increase recorded in rupee terms.
Türkiye remained Sri Lanka’s leading tea market during the first six months of 2026. It imported 19.71 million kilograms, up 149 percent from 7.90 million kilograms during the corresponding period in 2025.
The 19.71 million-kilogram figure covers January to June, not June alone. Sri Lanka tea exports for the six-month period totalled 123.10 million kilograms, down 3.71 million kilograms year on year.
