Sri Lanka Trade Intelligence

Sri Lanka Harvest & Seasonality Calendar

When Ceylon’s headline crops are harvested and at their freshest: tea, cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, coconut and rubber. Plan your sourcing around the season for the best quality and pricing.

Sri Lankan tea-growing highlands

Use this calendar to time your purchases. Buying close to a crop’s peak harvest usually means the freshest product and the keenest pricing, while off-season buying often draws on stored stock. Most Sri Lankan exporters can supply year-round from inventory, the seasons below show when fresh crop typically lands.

Peak harvest (fresh crop) In season / widely available Off / low season (usually from stock)
ProductJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Ceylon Tea
Ceylon Cinnamon
Black Pepper
Cardamom
Cloves
Nutmeg & Mace
Coconut (oil & DC)
Coir & Coco Peat
Natural Rubber
Indicative, not guaranteed. Harvest timing shifts with region, elevation, monsoon and weather each year, and most exporters hold stock to supply year-round. Treat this as a planning guide. Confirm current availability and crop dates with the exporter for your specific product and grade.

Season notes by crop

  • Ceylon Tea: plucked all year, but quality peaks in the dry months: the high-grown / Western quality season runs roughly January–March, and the prized Uva (Eastern) season around July–September.
  • Ceylon Cinnamon: peeled year-round, with the main harvest flushes after the rains, broadly May–November. True cinnamon is available continuously.
  • Black Pepper: main crop ripens and is dried roughly December–March.
  • Cardamom: harvested in flushes, with the main season around October–February.
  • Cloves: buds are picked before they open, mainly November–February.
  • Nutmeg & Mace: two harvest windows, broadly April–June and November–December.
  • Coconut products (oil, desiccated coconut) and coir / coco peat, coconut palms fruit continuously, so these ship year-round.
  • Natural Rubber: tapped year-round, but output dips during “wintering” (leaf-fall and refoliation) around February–April; peak yield is roughly September–January.

Why seasonality matters for buyers

Timing your order to a crop’s peak harvest can mean fresher product, better availability of specific grades, and stronger pricing, while sourcing in the off-season may draw on stored stock at a premium. Pair this calendar with our Ceylon commodity prices for current price ranges, and the freight & landed-cost calculator to plan your delivered cost. New-crop arrivals are a good moment to lock in volume.

Source at the right time of year

Tell us the product, grade and quantity you need. We’ll match you with verified Sri Lankan exporters and flag when fresh crop is landing.

Request a quote →

Frequently asked questions

When is Ceylon cinnamon harvested?

Ceylon cinnamon is peeled year-round, with the main harvest flushes after the rains, broadly May to November. Because exporters hold stock, true cinnamon is available continuously; timing affects freshness and price more than availability.

What is the best season to buy Ceylon tea?

Tea is plucked all year, but quality peaks in the dry months. The high-grown (Western) quality season is roughly January–March, and the famous Uva (Eastern) season around July–September, the best windows for premium lots.

When is Sri Lankan pepper, cardamom and clove season?

Black pepper’s main crop is about December–March; cardamom peaks around October–February; and cloves are mainly harvested November–February. These shift year to year with the weather.

Can I still buy off-season?

Yes. Most Sri Lankan exporters supply year-round from stored stock, so you can source any time. The calendar simply shows when fresh crop typically lands, which can mean better grades and pricing. Post a sourcing request and we’ll confirm current availability.