Sri Lankan President orders urgent customs reforms to clear e-commerce parcel backlog –

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed the Customs authorities to urgently resolve the backlog of international e-commerce parcels, following growing delays in the clearance of shipments from platforms such as Temu and AliExpress. Chairing a high-level meeting on Tuesday, the President called for immediate solutions through digital streamlining and customer-focused reforms. The Customs Department had earlier replaced the flat Rs. 800/kg duty system with HS code-based tax assessments, leading to a surge in parcel processing time. According to the Courier Express Parcel Association, approximately 40 metric tonnes of parcels have accumulated in warehouses due to the new system.
 
To address the issue, the President instructed Customs to fast-track the implementation of the project ASYCUDA – Automated System for Customs Data and the National Single Window system, and to explore courier pre-payment mechanisms. Exemptions for educational and research materials are also under consideration. AliExpress has already suspended budget shipping options to Sri Lanka.