📰 SRI LANKA MONEY WEEKLY

Sri Lanka Money Weekly: Salaya up 140% as the fish rally rolls on — and fuel rises from 1 Nov (26–30 Oct 2026)

ganna.lk blog · 2 Nov 2026 · 3 min read

TL;DR: The fish rally got steeper, not softer: salaya wholesale more than doubled (+140%) in a week, linna rose 46% and paraw 40%. Vegetables flipped the other way from last week — beans bounced back 33% and green chilli jumped 60% in a single Friday move. The rupee eased a touch (selling Rs. 337.13), lending rates actually fell (AWPR 10.93%), and from midnight 1 November the CPC raised petrol and diesel across the board: 92 to Rs. 424, auto diesel to Rs. 397. VAT is still 18% — the Budget on 12 November is now the date that matters.

The rupee slipped, just a little. The dollar’s selling rate ended at Rs. 337.13, up Rs. 0.64 on the previous week’s Rs. 336.49. Nothing dramatic — but if you price imports or pay dollar bills, that is the direction to watch, not a reason to panic. Track it live →

Borrowing got slightly cheaper. The Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate — the benchmark banks use to price loans — fell to 10.93% from 11.11%, while the policy rate stayed at 8.75%. If you are comparing loan offers, a 0.18 point fall will not transform a quote — compare the fees and terms as well. Compare your options → Personal loan → Housing loan →

Savers: T-bills still pay around 9–10%. The 91-day bill sits at 9.30%, the 1-year at 9.95%. If a fixed-deposit renewal quote comes in well below those, it is worth a second conversation with your bank. Check your FD →

Shares had a strong week. The ASPI closed at 20,267.15, up about 2.8% on the previous week’s 19,717.92, on turnover of Rs. 2,272 million.

The market basket: fish up again, vegetables flip

Last week’s story was fish up, vegetables down. This week fish went further up — salaya wholesale more than doubled at Peliyagoda (+140%), linna rose 46%, paraw 40%, balaya 33%, kelawalla 15% — and vegetables flipped: beans, which crashed 27% last week, bounced back 33% at Pettah wholesale, and green chilli jumped 60%, the whole weekly move landing on Friday itself (Rs. 250 → Rs. 400/kg wholesale). Snake gourd rose 25% and carrot 20%. Imported dried chilli (+25%) and imported red onion (+24%) rose too, which matters for every kitchen and kade that cooks with them. Only thalapath (−6%) and pumpkin (−11%) went the other way among the notable movers. Rice, the anchor of every household budget, did not move at all: samba Rs. 240/kg retail in Pettah.

Also up: local potato +16.9%, kelawalla +15.4%, local red onion +14.0%, imported potato +11.2%, cabbage +11.1%. Thalapath eased 6.2% at Negombo wholesale. Pumpkin fell 10.7%. Coconut retail Rs. 175 (wholesale +9.5% on the week). Egg (white) Rs. 35, essentially flat.

If you run a food business, two weeks of this is the warning, not one. When fish input costs jump for a second straight week and vegetables swing 30–60% in either direction, your prices need math behind them, not gut feel. Cost your products properly → See every item’s chart →

Policy watch

Fuel up from 1 November — all of it this time. The CPC’s monthly revision, effective midnight 1 November, raised Petrol 92 by Rs. 10 to Rs. 424, Petrol 95 by Rs. 15 to Rs. 490, auto diesel by Rs. 5 to Rs. 397 and super diesel by Rs. 15 to Rs. 543. Kerosene stays at Rs. 285. Lanka IOC aligned its 92 and auto diesel prices with the CPC. Unlike last week’s Octane-95-only move, this one hits every vehicle and every delivery route. If you run transport or deliveries, re-cost the route before the next quote. Work out the trip cost →

Electricity: the consultation closes this week, and the claims are now running in both directions. The PUCSL’s fourth-quarter tariff consultation closes 5 November, with the oral session at BMICH the same day. The National System Operator asked for a 2.88% increase; PUCSL’s preliminary review put the possible rise at about 1.46%. The Electricity Consumers’ Association now says the tariff could instead fall — 10% on its 27 October reading, 20% on its 1 November reading, citing reservoirs at 95–100% and solar at about 27% of generation. None of this is a decision yet. Watch 5 November, not the headlines.

VAT is still 18% — and the Budget is 8 days away. No government tax decision was announced this week. The dates to diary: Budget 2027 is presented on 12 November, and the Treasury has said to expect reforms, not tax cuts. Separately, the IRD’s TIN-certificate requirement for residents aged 18 and over took effect from 1 November (as reported in the SME compliance round-ups). Your invoices do not change this week. (General information, not tax advice — confirm with your accountant for your specific case.) Make a compliant invoice →

What to watch next week

• The PUCSL tariff consultation closes 5 November (oral session, BMICH) — the first real signal on the next electricity bill
• Budget 2027 on 12 November — the Treasury says reforms, not tax cuts
• The next CBSL price report — does the fish rally hold for a third week, or does supply catch up?
• Whether the 1 November fuel rise feeds into transport and food prices

Sources

• CBSL Daily Price Report, 30 October 2026 (via the production worker feed; PDF index) — cbsl.gov.lk price report
• CBSL Daily Economic Indicators, 29 October 2026 (via the production worker feed) — cbsl.gov.lk
• CPC fuel price revision effective 1 November 2026, Ada Derana, 1 Nov 2026 — adaderana.lk
• CPC fuel price revision, Daily Mirror, 1 Nov 2026 — dailymirror.lk
• PUCSL, Proposed Electricity Tariff Revision — 2026 4th Quarter — pucsl.gov.lk
• Electricity tariff could be reduced by 20% (Electricity Consumers’ Association, 1 Nov 2026) — nationscope.news

Prices are from the CBSL Daily Price Report, 30 Oct 2026; week moves are wholesale in the primary market. This is not financial advice.