Sri Lanka, July 17 -- The island's coconut sector is also up in arms about the unfolding saga, that is, the US tariffs.

With the current tariff rate set at 30% for all Sri Lankan exports to the US, coconut sector stakeholders are calling on the government to get the rate reduced.

Their desired figure is 20%.

From the country's 12.7 billion dollar merchandise exports last year, Coconut and Coconut-based products amounted to close to 1 billion dollars.

The exact figure was 856.39 million dollars, which was a 20% increase from the previous year.

Speaking on the tariff issue, the President of the Ceylon Chamber of Coconut Industries, Jayantha Samarakoon, gave these thoughts.

"20% of our coconut is exported to the USA. So this has ...