🌱 Sri Lanka Rubber Industry Tracker
| Indicator | 2025 | 2026 Latest | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Rubber Production | 66,492 MT | 26,641 MT* | YTD |
| Jan–Mar Production | 19.1m kg | 16.2m kg | ↓ 15.2% |
| 2025 Average Yield | 1,192 kg/ha | — | Monitoring |
| 2025 Smallholder Cost | Rs.419/kg | — | Benchmark |
| Grade | Jan 2026 | Apr 2026 | May 2026 | Jan → May |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSS 1 | Rs.687.11 | Rs.723.20 | Rs.779.00 | +13.4% |
| RSS 2 | Rs.640.15 | Rs.705.63 | Rs.758.00 | +18.4% |
| RSS 3 | Rs.632.83 | Rs.689.95 | Rs.755.18 | +19.3% |
| Latex | Rs.639.77 | Rs.619.71 | Rs.643.31 | +0.6% |
| Scrap | Rs.315.67 | Rs.364.48 | Rs.387.84 | +22.9% |
| Indicator | 2026 | YoY Change | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan–Jul Export Earnings | US$579.55m | +4.92% | Positive |
| July Export Earnings | US$87.24m | +3.17% | Positive |
| June Export Earnings | US$87.61m | +7.14% | Strong |
| Jan–May RDD Export Earnings | US$405m | — | Official RDD |
| Indicator | Jan–May 2026 | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Rubber Exports | US$405m | Strong |
| Rubber Imports | US$155m | Significant input demand |
| Indicative Export Surplus | US$250m | Positive |
| Risk | Level | Direction | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Production | HIGH | ↑ | Jan–Mar production fell 15.2% YoY. |
| Climate / Rainfall | MEDIUM–HIGH | ↑ | Weather directly affects tapping and yield. |
| Global Rubber Prices | MEDIUM | ↓ | Higher global reference prices are supportive. |
| Export Demand | LOW | ↓ | Rubber product exports continue to grow. |
| Input Dependence | MEDIUM | → | Sri Lanka imports substantial quantities of natural and synthetic rubber. |
Production: The upstream plantation sector remains the industry’s principal weakness. Jan–Mar 2026 natural-rubber production was 16.2m kg, down 15.2% YoY.
Prices: Farm-gate RSS prices strengthened significantly during the first five months of 2026, supporting smallholder economics.
Exports: The downstream sector is outperforming the upstream sector. Rubber and rubber-based exports reached US$579.55m during Jan–Jul, up 4.92% YoY.
Value Addition: Finished products account for the majority of rubber export tonnage in the latest RDD data. This is a major structural advantage for Sri Lanka.
Investment Thesis: The strongest part of Sri Lanka’s rubber story is increasingly manufacturing rather than raw rubber production. Companies exposed to tyres, gloves, industrial rubber products and specialised manufacturing may therefore have a different risk profile from plantation-focused businesses.
Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka (RRISL): auction price information.
Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB): rubber and rubber-based product export earnings and product-level performance.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka: production, price and external-sector indicators.
Figures marked provisional may subsequently be revised.