Sri Lanka, Jan. 16 -- Sri Lanka's external sector performance continued to improve in November with the trade deficit narrowing further, mainly due to the restrictions imposed on non-essential imports and the lower fuel bill, despite the second COVID-19 wave taking a toll on the export revenue.

In November, Sri Lanka recorded a US $ 565 million deficit in the trade account, which was considerably lower than the deficit of US $ 762 million recorded in November 2019.

However, the country's trade deficit slightly picked up in November, compared to October, when the country's trade deficit was down to US $ 514 million.

The improvement in the trade balance was due to the decline in imports by US $ 453 million, which was greater than the US ...