Sri Lanka's National Export Development Plan, launched days before the June 2026 Gem City announcement, frames gem and jewellery as a strategic export sector with a path from 388 million dollars in 2025 revenue to 1.2 billion dollars within five years.
Export Development Board chairman Mangala Wijesinghe told media the targets rest on sector-specific plans and stakeholder consultation, not headline ambition alone. Product diversification and market diversification are explicit: loose stones, jewellery, and services such as certification all count.
The plan links to NGJA tax reform, anti-smuggling enforcement, and trade promotion through foreign missions. Early 2026 data showed 8.7% year-on-year export growth in the first four months, one input to the broader model.
Buyers should read the NEDP as policy continuity signal. Whether Sri Lanka reaches twelve figures depends on formalizing informal trade and keeping import rules predictable, but the export board is now on record with a number and a timeline.
