Sea cucumbers are collected along Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern coasts, then boiled, cleaned and dried as beche-de-mer. Dried sea cucumber sells mainly to China, Hong Kong and Singapore, where it is a prized food. Sri Lanka exported about US$10 million in 2025.

Species and grading

Price depends heavily on the species and the size and quality of the dried pieces. Tell us the species you buy, the size grade and moisture you require, and we confirm availability on a sample.

Rules on this trade

Sea cucumber fishing in Sri Lanka is regulated by the Department of Fisheries, with licences and size limits, and some species are under export controls. Several teatfish species are listed in CITES Appendix II, which means an export permit is needed for each shipment. We only supply species and lots that can be exported legally with the permits your import requires.

Moisture and cleanliness are checked on a sample before shipment.

What to tell us for a quote

• The product, grade or specification you need, and a reference sample if you have one
• Quantity per order and how often you buy
• Pack size, packaging and labelling
• Destination port and the Incoterm you prefer
• Documents your market requires, such as a certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate or lab test reports

Packing and shipping

Orders are packed to your instruction and shipped by sea in a full or shared container, or by air for samples and small lots, quoted FOB Colombo, CFR or CIF to your port. Products from several Sri Lankan suppliers can share one container through our consolidation service.

How to get a price: tell us the quantity, your specification and your destination port. We quote FOB Colombo, CFR or CIF, with lead time and minimum order, and arrange samples before an order.

Photo: “Dried sea cucumber” by Bare Dreamer, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and edited.

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