Sri Lanka's export earnings was close to the 10-billion-U.S.-dollar mark in 2020 in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported here Thursday.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) said in a statement that even with the severe impacts of the pandemic, Sri Lanka's merchandise exports reached 9.9 billion dollars in 2020, compared to the revised forecast of 9.5 billion dollars.

"Amidst the outbreak of COVID-19, a notable rebound of the export sector was recorded from mid-2020 with the proactive measures introduced by the government," EDB Chairman Suresh De Mel said.

De Mel said the growth in exports was not only due to the effective prevention and control of the epidemic in Sri Lanka, but also the commitment of the exporter community to supporting the national economy by bringing in the much-needed foreign currency during a crisis situation.

According to official statistics, Sri Lanka's top export markets for last year were the United States, Britain and Germany and increase in exports was also recorded from China and Turkey.