Sri Lanka's exports dented by global slowdown
According to Sri Lanka's foreign minister, the country's plans to export $2 billion worth of tea in 2010 are looking increasingly out of reach as global economic slowdown takes its toll on its main agricultural export. The island's government is seeking support from "friendly" countries such as Egypt, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to promote tea exports and maintain price stability. The billion dollar industry accounts for more than two-thirds of the country's agricultural export earnings, contributing about 4 per cent to the GDP.