Mano Ganesan: ‘Boost US Trade with Tariff Cuts’

Senior Sri Lankan parliamentarian Mano Ganesan suggests that Sri Lanka reduce its import tariffs on US goods to seek reciprocal relief and consider sourcing raw materials from the US to bolster trade ties.

His reaction came as the US imposed a 44% tariff on Sri Lankan goods, effective April 9, 2025, under US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy, targeting Sri Lanka’s 88% trade barriers.

This will likely threaten Sri Lanka’s apparel industry, which relies on the US for 23% of its $3 billion annual exports and employs over 300,000 directly.

The US trade deficit with Sri Lanka was $2.6 billion in 2024.

The Tamil Progressive Leader said the following on X:  https://x.com/ManoGanesan/status/1907643944072024144

“What was feared has arrived now, the #UStarifWar at 44%! It’s time to look at the US trade imbalance, favoring us always & US being the single largest buyer of our total exports at 23%. Hence, we should look at the possibilities of drastically cutting our tariff on imports from the US as a 1st step & look for reciprocative relief from the US Reciprocal Tariff Act. Later, we can look at the possibilities of buying raw materials for the apparel industry.”