Of the 231 registered tea exporters who exported 295 million kg last year and earned over a billion dollars, only 31 or 13 percent came through the online documentation system, he said.
"That means 200 exporters are not using the EDI system," he told an awareness seminar on the island's logistics automation initiatives and benefits of EDI.
"But on a positive note, people who used the EDI system have stuck with it, except for one who left.
"More and more exporters need to use the system," he said.
However, he said the number of transactions was on the rise.
Of the total number of 2,035 'cusdecs' (customs goods declarations) received in January this year, 829 came through the EDI system, which amounts to 40 percent, Udugampola said.
"The number of users remains the same, but the number of transactions is increasing