Sri Lanka’s textile and garment exports increased by 28 per cent year-on-year to $2.5 billion in the January to June period, according to statistics released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

As per a report by Business of Fashion, textile exports increased by 47.8 percent to $156.6 million, while garment exports surged by 30.8 percent to $2.27 billion. The two categories accounted for 56.43 percent of all industrial exports from Sri Lanka during the first half of 2021, the report said.

From January-May 2921, Sri Lanka could maintain restrict the number of COVID-19 infections that helped it gain a competitive edge over neighboring textile and garment producers struggling with major COVID-related disasters.

However, from June onwards, Sri Lanka’s infections soared and reached historic highs in August. The government has rejected calls for a lockdown or curfews to help stem this rise in infections, saying the country is on track to vaccinate everyone over the age of 18 by September.