The Economic and Trade Cooperation Agreement with India will be signed by March next year, government sources said.

The government had earlier said that the agreement will be signed by end of this year. However, the talks over the agreement are still underway.

India's State Minister of Industry and Commerce Nirmala Seetharaman visited the island for a round of talks on the agreement recently. The next round of talks will be held in India soon.

The Sri Lankan government said that the talks have been successful up to now. However, the proposed agreement is facing severe criticism in the country.