📈 Sri Lanka Secures 10% US Tariff Rate, Leveling Field with Competitors

The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) commended President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and government officials for successfully securing a lower 10% tariff rate under the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Section 301 forced labor review. • Key Decision & Parity • Sri Lanka was assigned to the 10% tariff tier among 18 countries, successfully avoiding a higher 12.5% rate imposed on 42 other nations. • Achieves tariff parity with key rival sourcing destinations, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Cambodia. • Prevents a 2.5 percentage point duty disadvantage that threatened to shift international trade orders to competitor nations. • Industry & National Significance • Safeguards the global market competitiveness of Sri Lanka's apparel & textiles sector. • Protects the nation's primary export earning industry and a vital source of domestic employment, particularly for women. • Demonstrates the strategic value of coordinated public-private diplomacy involving JAAF, the Department of Commerce, and Sri Lanka's Washington Embassy.