Sugarcane is the major sucrose-extracting crop used in the sugar industry in Sri Lanka. Sugar is considered a staple food item in that country. Therefore, sugar production and price directly affects the ordinary Sri Lankan's day-to-day life.
The annual per capita consumption of sugar in Sri Lanka is around 30 kg, and the total annual requirement of sugar for the country is around 550,000 tons. However, only about 7% of the annual requirement is produced locally, with the balance being imported. The total annual expenditure on sugar imports is around Rs. 20 billion. In 2008, 575,000 tons of sugar were imported, at a cost of Rs. 22.3 billion.
References
Sugarcane cultivation in sri lanka Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA