Feb 17, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Department of Export Agriculture pans to take measures to step up the production of cinnamon in the country to increases cinnamon exports.

Sri Lanka plans to increase the cinnamon exports to a target of one billion US dollars by 2015, the Sri Lanka Economic Development Board (EDB) says.

Accordingly, cinnamon production facilities are expected to be established in the cinnamon cultivation areas in the country.

Initially a program will commence in the Deniyaya Panilkanda area, the Department said.

According to the EDB Sri Lanka produces 70 percent of cinnamon demand at the world market and exports 85 percent of country's annual cinnamon production, mostly to the USA and Mexico.

Sri Lanka annually produces 16,000 metric tons of cinnamon in about 31,000 hectares of land. Cinnamon trade is the livelihood for 260,000 families in the country.