COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's trade deficit widened 2.7 percent to $771.9 million in January from $751.5 million a year earlier, central bank data showed on Tuesday.

January exports edged up 0.6 percent from a year earlier to $909.8 million, while imports gained 1.6 percent to $1.68 billion.

In 2014, the trade deficit widened 9.1 percent to $8.3 billion, while the $76-billion economy recorded a balance-of-payment surplus of $1.38 billion last year, up from $985.4 million in 2013.

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