Agricultural production in Sri Lanka
According to FAOSTAT, Sri Lanka produced 4.9 million t of cereals, 1.1 million t of vegetables, 1.1 million t of fruit, 291,946 t of meat and 537,792 t of milk in 2024. Its largest crops by volume were rice (4.7 million t), coconuts (1.8 million t) and tea leaves (1.5 million t).
- Products recorded
- 86
- World #1
- 1
- products
- World top 10
- 13
- products
- Year
- 2024
Sri Lanka ranks second or third in the world for coir.
Among its twelve largest crops, the biggest ten-year change was in mangoes and guavas (+130%), followed by rice (+39%).
Livestock numbers: 1.1 million cattle, 109,660 pigs, 17,820 sheep and 351,450 goats.
Totals by group
| Group | Tonnes | World rank | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All cereals | 4,930,803 | 59 | 0.16% | +36% |
| All vegetables | 1,123,459 | 74 | 0.1% | −12% |
| All fruit | 1,087,127 | 87 | 0.11% | +24% |
| All sugar crops | 696,971 | 82 | 0.03% | −27% |
| All milk | 537,792 | 90 | 0.05% | +109% |
| All roots and tubers | 432,205 | 101 | 0.05% | −0.5% |
| All meat | 291,946 | 96 | 0.08% | +62% |
| All eggs | 94,831 | 55 | 0.09% | −21% |
| All pulses | 17,907 | 114 | 0.02% | −18% |
| All tree nuts | 17,600 | 58 | 0.1% | +176% |
| All citrus fruit | 17,485 | 90 | 0.01% | +23% |
All products by volume, 2024
| Product | Tonnes | World rank | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice (paddy) | 4,698,453 | 19 | 0.57% | +39% |
| Coconuts, in shell | 1,814,800 | 6 | 2.77% | −21% |
| Tea leaves | 1,514,024 | 4 | 4.63% | −16% |
| Plantains | 742,618 | 11 | 1.67% | +16% |
| Sugar cane | 696,971 | 55 | 0.04% | −27% |
| Cow milk | 430,002 | 95 | 0.05% | +118% |
| Other fibre crops, raw, n.e.c. | 370,085 | 1 | 56.08% | +8.9% |
| Cassava | 312,237 | 41 | 0.09% | +3.5% |
| Tea, packed | 259,294 | 6 | 3.55% | −24% |
| Chicken meat | 258,540 | 53 | 0.2% | +80% |
| Maize | 223,496 | 91 | 0.02% | −7.3% |
| Beer | 210,000 | 76 | 0.11% | +68% |
| Mangoes and guavas | 176,202 | 29 | 0.28% | +130% |
| Coir | 164,503 | 3 | 9.28% | +7.9% |
| Pumpkins and squash | 162,801 | 32 | 0.47% | −39% |
| Other beans, green | 147,098 | 11 | 0.57% | +0.9% |
| Eggplants | 124,244 | 17 | 0.22% | −3.2% |
| Other vegetables, fresh n.e.c. | 120,857 | 73 | 0.04% | −6.4% |
| Cabbages | 106,795 | 50 | 0.14% | −0.1% |
| Hen eggs | 94,786 | 55 | 0.1% | −21% |
| Buffalo milk | 91,705 | 10 | 0.06% | +100% |
| Chillies and peppers, green | 87,811 | 44 | 0.2% | +39% |
| Tomatoes | 74,238 | 87 | 0.04% | −14% |
| Carrots and turnips | 73,210 | 55 | 0.16% | +34% |
| Okra | 72,623 | 15 | 0.55% | +8.4% |
| Areca nuts | 70,866 | 6 | 3.04% | +69% |
| Natural rubber | 69,271 | 17 | 0.47% | −37% |
| Raw sugar | 66,000 | 84 | 0.04% | +24% |
| Other fruits, n.e.c. | 64,698 | 58 | 0.16% | +0.3% |
| Skim milk of cows | 62,296 | 86 | 0.04% | +316% |
| Onions, dry | 53,339 | 85 | 0.05% | −68% |
| Ginger | 52,019 | 10 | 1.06% | +236% |
| Cucumbers | 51,405 | 57 | 0.06% | +27% |
| Pineapples | 50,425 | 41 | 0.17% | −9.2% |
| Sweet potatoes | 49,825 | 57 | 0.05% | −1.0% |
| Leeks | 47,000 | 14 | 2.2% | +80% |
| Pepper (black, white) | 44,467 | 7 | 4.76% | +60% |
| Coconut oil | 43,475 | 8 | 1.39% | −3.8% |
| Potatoes | 42,207 | 114 | 0.01% | −49% |
| Groundnuts (peanuts) | 28,962 | 47 | 0.05% | +14% |
| Other starchy roots and tubers | 27,936 | 28 | 0.29% | — |
| Molasses | 25,563 | 82 | 0.03% | −12% |
| Melons | 22,832 | 56 | 0.08% | +92% |
| Beef (cattle meat) | 20,900 | 120 | 0.03% | +1.7% |
| Whole milk, condensed | 20,877 | 17 | 1.06% | +316% |
| Cinnamon and cinnamon-tree flowers | 20,587 | 4 | 8.41% | +23% |
| Cashew nuts, in shell | 17,600 | 19 | 0.41% | +176% |
| Goat milk | 16,085 | 68 | 0.08% | +8.7% |
| Avocados | 12,867 | 37 | 0.11% | −18% |
| Cow peas, dry | 11,413 | 23 | 0.11% | −25% |
| Sesame seed | 10,503 | 37 | 0.16% | −25% |
| Lemons and limes | 10,099 | 55 | 0.04% | +52% |
| Buffalo meat | 8,900 | 15 | 0.12% | −33% |
| Millet | 8,694 | 50 | 0.03% | −2.1% |
| Tobacco, unmanufactured | 8,514 | 41 | 0.14% | +156% |
| Margarine and shortening | 7,701 | 65 | 0.06% | −20% |
| Oranges | 7,386 | 81 | 0.01% | −2.5% |
| Beans, dry | 6,494 | 74 | 0.02% | +1.3% |
| Soybeans | 6,196 | 72 | 0% | −8.7% |
| Cloves (whole stems) | 5,813 | 5 | 2.92% | +3.9% |
| Coffee, green | 5,117 | 43 | 0.05% | −16% |
| Other stimulant, spice and aromatic crops, n.e.c. | 4,989 | 21 | 0.15% | −9.1% |
| Nutmeg, mace and cardamom | 4,058 | 6 | 2.06% | +595% |
| Edible offal of cattle, fresh, chilled or frozen | 3,846 | 95 | 0.04% | +1.7% |
| Raw hides and skins of cattle | 3,093 | 100 | 0.04% | +1.7% |
| Raw hides and skins of buffaloes | 2,670 | 13 | 0.18% | −33% |
| Goat meat | 2,660 | 87 | 0.03% | +138% |
| Butter of cow milk | 2,623 | 75 | 0.04% | +316% |
| Edible offal of buffalo, fresh, chilled or frozen | 2,314 | 12 | 0.19% | −33% |
| Cauliflower and broccoli | 2,037 | 68 | 0.01% | +78% |
| Soya bean oil | 2,016 | 86 | 0% | −12% |
| Cocoa beans | 1,150 | 34 | 0.02% | −37% |
| Pork (pig meat) | 924 | 142 | 0% | −46% |
| Cattle fat, unrendered | 752 | 96 | 0.02% | +1.6% |
| Groundnut oil | 588 | 69 | 0.01% | −2.8% |
| Oil of sesame seed | 500 | 48 | 0.04% | +18% |
| Mustard seed | 449 | 13 | 0.05% | +77% |
| Buffalo fat, unrendered | 356 | 14 | 0.08% | −33% |
| Edible offal of goat, fresh, chilled or frozen | 201 | 94 | 0.01% | +139% |
| Raw hides and skins of goats or kids | 201 | 92 | 0.01% | +139% |
| Sorghum | 160 | 99 | 0% | +20% |
| Goat fat, unrendered | 65 | 83 | 0.02% | +132% |
| Eggs from other birds in shell, fresh, n.e.c. | 45 | 36 | 0% | 0.0% |
| Edible offal of pigs, fresh, chilled or frozen | 25 | 127 | 0% | −47% |
| Fat of pigs | 23 | 130 | 0% | −45% |
| Duck meat | 22 | 65 | 0% | +47% |
Live animals, 2024
Sri Lanka among the world’s producers, 2024
Share of world production by country for the largest crops of Sri Lanka, which is outlined on the map.
Small island states are not drawn at this scale.
Production per person, 2024
Sri Lanka had 23.1 million inhabitants in 2024 (FAOSTAT estimate). Production of its largest products per inhabitant, compared with the world average:
| Product | kg per person | World, kg per person | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice (paddy) | 203 | 100 | 2.0× |
| Coconuts, in shell | 78.6 | 8.03 | 9.8× |
| Tea leaves | 65.5 | 4.01 | 16.3× |
| Plantains | 32.1 | 5.46 | 5.9× |
| Sugar cane | 30.2 | 238 | 0.1× |
| Cow milk | 18.6 | 97.7 | 0.2× |
| Other fibre crops, raw, n.e.c. | 16.0 | 0.08 | 198.1× |
| Cassava | 13.5 | 41.9 | 0.3× |
| Tea, packed | 11.2 | 0.89 | 12.6× |
| Chicken meat | 11.2 | 15.7 | 0.7× |
| Maize | 9.67 | 149 | 0.1× |
| Beer | 9.09 | 22.7 | 0.4× |
Production divided by population; it is not consumption, because crops are traded and used for feed, processing and industry.
Trade in agricultural products, 2024
Sri Lanka reported exports of 109 and imports of 110 of the products covered here; it was the world’s largest exporter of other fibre crops, raw, n.e.c..
Largest exports by value
| Product | Tonnes | Value | USD/kg | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tea leaves | 242,423 | USD 1.39 bn | 5.74 | 4 of 143 |
| Cinnamon and cinnamon-tree flowers, raw | 19,546 | USD 214 m | 10.97 | 4 of 96 |
| Other fibre crops, raw, n.e.c. | 455,000 | USD 204 m | 0.45 | 1 of 67 |
| Pepper (Piper spp.), raw | 25,979 | USD 169 m | 6.50 | 4 of 124 |
| Coconut oil | 24,018 | USD 82.4 m | 3.43 | 8 of 94 |
| Areca nuts | 8,852 | USD 38.0 m | 4.29 | 8 of 76 |
| Unmanufactured tobacco | 1,553 | USD 27.8 m | 17.92 | 51 of 101 |
| Nutmeg, mace, cardamoms, raw | 2,670 | USD 19.1 m | 7.15 | 6 of 89 |
| Beer of barley, malted | 19,582 | USD 16.3 m | 0.83 | 52 of 149 |
| Plantains and cooking bananas | 18,876 | USD 14.7 m | 0.78 | 11 of 92 |
Largest imports by value
| Product | Tonnes | Value | USD/kg | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 1,010,624 | USD 289 m | 0.29 | 45 of 176 |
| Coconut oil | 155,538 | USD 219 m | 1.41 | 6 of 173 |
| Whole milk powder | 54,926 | USD 195 m | 3.56 | 13 of 190 |
| Onions and shallots, dry (excluding dehydrated) | 247,239 | USD 143 m | 0.58 | 10 of 165 |
| Lentils, dry | 164,886 | USD 123 m | 0.74 | 7 of 184 |
| Chillies and peppers, dry (Capsicum spp., Pimenta spp.), raw | 43,079 | USD 83.6 m | 1.94 | 9 of 180 |
| Maize (corn) | 253,523 | USD 77.9 m | 0.31 | 65 of 190 |
| Unmanufactured tobacco | 2,632 | USD 60.7 m | 23.05 | 66 of 139 |
| Potatoes | 180,875 | USD 52.0 m | 0.29 | 21 of 183 |
| Green garlic | 36,950 | USD 49.9 m | 1.35 | 16 of 182 |
FAOSTAT detailed trade data, release of 23 July 2026: quantities in tonnes and values in current US dollars as reported; exports include re-exports. Only the FAO trade items that match Husfarm production pages are included: meat covers fresh or chilled meat only (frozen meat is a separate item), and processed goods such as milled rice or flour are not listed.
Questions and answers
What are the main crops produced in Sri Lanka?
By volume, the largest products of Sri Lanka in 2024 were rice (paddy) (4.7 million t), coconuts, in shell (1.8 million t), tea leaves (1.5 million t), according to FAOSTAT.
Is Sri Lanka the world’s largest producer of anything?
Yes. In 2024 Sri Lanka was the world’s largest producer of 1 product: other fibre crops, raw, n.e.c.
How much rice (paddy) does Sri Lanka produce per person?
About 203 kg per inhabitant in 2024, compared with a world average of 100 kg (production divided by population, FAOSTAT).
What does Sri Lanka export most?
By value, its largest agricultural exports in 2024 among the products covered here were tea leaves (USD 1.39 bn), cinnamon and cinnamon-tree flowers, raw (USD 214 m), other fibre crops, raw, n.e.c. (USD 204 m), according to FAOSTAT.
What does Sri Lanka import most?
By value, its largest agricultural imports in 2024 among the products covered here were wheat (USD 289 m), coconut oil (USD 219 m), whole milk powder (USD 195 m).
Where does this data come from?
Production, trade and population figures are from FAOSTAT, the statistics database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rankings, shares and per-person figures are calculated by Husfarm.
Source: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Accessed on 4 November 2026. fao.org/faostat. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Charts, rankings and changes calculated by Husfarm.