Long known for their exotic and exquisite flavour and nutrition, Sri Lankan tropical fruits and vegetables are exported to regions in Eastern Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Sri Lanka is country blessed with a lush tropical climate and a geography that suit a variety of agricultural crops. Sri Lanka has been supplying a vaiety of tropical fruit and vegetables to the world and jointly produce more than 900,000 metric tons of fruit and vegetable annually and export both fresh and processed varieties to many destinations. On top of Sri Lanka’s climatic advantage, the fertile soils and the wisdom handed down from generation to generation, the established agricultural facilities, irrigation systems, and distributed rainfall patterns are quite favorable to the cultivation of such crops.
Sri Lankan Fruit and vegetables are mainly grown by small holder farmers, who operate independently, selling their products to larger exporters during the harvesting season while larger fruit and vegetable exporters also outsource cultivation of fruits and vegetables to farmers on contract basis, who cultivate the assigned crop and deliver the required yield at harvesting periods.
With a consumer-base that is increasingly health-conscious, the global demand for Sri Lankan fruit is clearly on the rise.
Meanwhile, a number of Sri Lankan fruits and vegetables cultivators have initiated the production of organic fruits and vegetables including organic pineapples, papaya, strawberries, grapefruit, pomelo, dragon fruit, star fruit, salad leaves varieties, and green herbs for the international market abiding to the international standards for organic fruit production.
Besides fruits and vegetables, Sri Lanka also exports various endogenous yams and fruit and pods of perennial crops such as bread fruit, young jackfruit, and murunga which are both local and international favourites.