Sri Lanka, April 17 -- The Purchasing Managers' Indices (PMI) indicate expansions across both manufacturing and services activities for March 2026. The manufacturing sector saw its index rise to 66.7, a significant increase from 56.8 in February, largely fueled by seasonal demand. Services activities also grew, reaching an index value of 59.4 compared to 54.4 the previous month.

Manufacturing sector performance

Seasonal demand drove the expansion of new orders and production, particularly in the food, beverage, textile, and apparel sectors. The stock of purchases index grew as firms increased production, with some companies stocking raw materials as a precaution against potential disruptions from the Middle East conflict. Despite the gr...