Courtesy Hiru News The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision of interest-free loans to agribusiness entrepreneurs and farmers under the first phase of the Agriculture Modernization Program took place today (22) at the Presidential Secretariat. The MoUs were signed between the Bank of Ceylon, the Regional Development Bank who are the […]

Courtesy Adaderana The European Union (EU) is backing Sri Lanka’s initiative of the newly established Department of Cinnamon Development through the Export Agriculture in Sri Lanka project, the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and Maldives said in a statement. The statement highlighted that the EU will bring in the expertise of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) […]

Courtesy Adaderana Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries Mahinda Amaraweera, announced that a national week for the implementation of the Youth Agri-Entrepreneurship Village Program will be held from July 01st to 07th. He also stated that the government has decided to provide free MOP fertilizer for paddy cultivation to farmers for the next two seasons. […]

By Gunnar Rundgren, Courtesy  resilience.org   FOOD & WATER FEATURED June 13, 2024 In this last in my series of nitrogen articles, I turn to the question if we can do without synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. The Sri Lanka case – not an organic case You have probably heard the story about how Sri Lanka turned organic” […]

Courtesy The Hindustan Times Despite political shifts in Maldives towards a pro-China stance under Muizzu’s regime, India continues to provide essential commodities to its neighbours. The credibility of the Narendra Modi government’s neighbourhood first policy is evident as India is now planning to supply thousands of metric tons of onion to Sri Lanka after supplying vast […]

By Mohamed Aheeyar, Giriraj Amarnath and Niranga Alahacoon Courtesy IWMI The FRESH Initiative, in collaboration with the ClimBeR initiative, is providing Sri Lankan farmers with climate information and agronomic advisories straight to their mobile phones. In recent years, Sri Lanka has experienced the impacts of climate change with recurrent extreme droughts and intense rainfall events. Vegetable […]

Press Release: UN FAO 22/02/2024, Colombo – Forty countries from the Asia and Pacific region today agreed that transforming agrifood systems was imperative to providing food security for their children’s generation and beyond, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported today. The summation was delivered at today’s close of the 37th Session of […]

Courtesy Hiru News The Sri Lankan cabinet has granted approval for the cultivation of cannabis for export purposes, marking a significant move towards harnessing the economic potential of the plant. The cabinet paper, presented by Diana Gamage, Minister of State for Tourism, received favorable responses, with the minister expressing her satisfaction with the decision. The […]

by Arundathie Abeysinghe Courtesy PIME Asia News Corruption and labour shortages are among the causes, but the latest challenge comes from President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s budget proposal to increase VAT by 18 per cent. For some observers, the sector is on the verge of collapse. Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka’s coconut industry is facing a major […]

Prime Minister’s Media Unit Egg incubators are distributed with the objective of strengthening the rural economy and empowering small-scale poultry farm owners. With the objective of strengthening the rural economy and empowering small-scale poultry farm owners, 100  egg incubators were distributed today (2023.12.08) under the patronage of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Temple Trees.Acceding […]

Courtesy Adaderana In a significant and forward-looking speech at the 25th Presidential Awards of the Export Development Board (EDB), held today at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined a comprehensive plan to revitalize Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector for export, acknowledging past challenges and missed opportunities. The President also underscored the […]

By Randeewa Malalasooriya President, Coconut Milk Manufacturers Association Courtesy Ceylon Today In recent times, Sri Lanka has been rethinking its approach to exports in response to global economic changes. It’s moving away from its traditional exports like tea and rubber and exploring new avenues to make the most of its rich agricultural resources. Coconut: A […]

by Manasee Weerathunga Courtesy MONGABAY COLOMBO — Sri Lanka is a nation where agriculture is a pivotal factor of the country’s economy. However, the past two years were bleak for the agriculture sector following the government’s agrochemical importation ban in April 2021, triggering a severe economic and food crisis. Although the financial nosedive also impacted scientific research and […]

Courtesy Adaderana As per the statistics of the Department of Export Agriculture, Sri Lanka’s agriculture exports earned a revenue of over Rs. 86 billion thus far in 2023, in comparison to the earnings recorded over the last five years. Commenting on the matter, Development Director of the Department Upul Ranaweera explained that the revenue was […]

Courtesy Adaderana Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has assured that the country has ample stocks of rice that can sustain the upcoming Maha cultivation season. Hence, there is no need for rice imports, the lawmaker told a gathering of experts organized by the President’s Trade Union Relations Division at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (Aug. 23). […]

Courtesy Adaderana After a brief but productive visit to Yunnan capital Kunming to attend the 7th China-South Asia Expo, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena reached the ancient capital of the province, Dali City, known for agriculture research in addition to being a major tourist attraction. He first visited the Science and Technology Campus on […]

Courtesy Adaderana Minister of Plantation Industries and Minister of Industries, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana stated that action will be taken to establish an Agriculture and Plantation Research University by merging all institutions connected to the plantation industry and agriculture sector, as per President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s concept.  The fundamental draft related to this has already been prepared, […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will conduct training programmes for 300 Agriculture Extension Officers in Sri Lanka under an European Union (EU) funded project in order to boost Sri Lanka’s rice sector, the FAO announced. The programme comes as part of an innovative project titled RiceUP, launched by […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror The sudden shift to organic farming in 2021 by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resulted in a drop of more than 50 percent in paddy yield in the 2021/2022 Maha season, according to a research. The then government enacted the Import and Export Regulations No. 7 of 2021 which banned the import […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Government of Japan through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is providing USD 4,629,629 to strengthen the production capacity of smallholder paddy farmers in identified districts of the Dry and Intermediate Zones of Sri Lanka. Smallholder farmers are amongst the most vulnerable rural communities, predominantly cultivating rice for […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, together with the European Union (EU), today (22 April) officially launched a new programme to strengthen food security in Sri Lanka by boosting the productivity and sustainability of the paddy cultivation sector. The four million Euro (approximately Rs. 1.5 billion) initiative funded by […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Gunadasa Samarasinghe, has confirmed China’s request to import 100,000 toque macaque monkeys from the cash-strapped island nation amidst protests from several environmentalists against the deal. Speaking to Indian media, Samarasinghe said that a privately-owned animal breeding Chinese company, connected to zoological gardens, had made the request […]

By P.k. Balachandran Courtesy Ceylon Today Last week, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera announced that the Government is considering a Chinese proposal to import 100,000 ‘toque monkeys’ from Sri Lanka for 1,000 zoos in that country. The international media promptly commented that the deal stemmed from Sri Lanka’s dire need for foreign exchange. The Indian […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror The first phase of the program to plant three million jackfruit trees across the country, under the theme ‘Guwan Hamuda Herali Perali’, was launched today at the Anuradhapura Air Force Base under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. This program has been implemented in conjunction with the government’s food security program […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror  About 64 percent of the imported urea in Sri Lanka is used for paddy cultivation, but only 20-40 percent of it is actually absorbedThere are farmers who overcame the challenge posed by the chemical fertilizer ban brought about in 2021 GovernmentIn contrast to other countries, Sri Lanka shows limited interest in […]

By Vinod Moonesinghe/www.medium.com Courtesy NewsIn.Asia The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” – L.P. Hartley, The go-between Recent shortages of milk powder, wheat flour and even rice have brought into perspective Sri Lanka’s lack of food security. The situation has been exacerbated by growing dependence on imports of wheat — which […]

Courtesy Adaderana More than a million Sri Lankan paddy farmers in all 25 districts will get vital assistance through a shipment of over 36,000 metric tons of fertilizer handed over today by the United States to the Ministry of Agriculture, says the United States Embassy in Sri Lanka. The shipment of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP), […]

By Abhinav Singh Courtesy The Week Tammy Ben-Haim is the Consul General of Israel to South India, based in Bengaluru. Haim is a highly experienced diplomat with 18 years of experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 25 years in the civil service. Most recently Haim was the Minister for Public Diplomacy in the […]

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Feb 27 (Bernama) – Sri Lanka’s tea production is expected to fully recover next year after last year’s drop, the country’s Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed said. The tea industry, a key foreign exchange earner, saw its output decline by 16 per cent to 251.5 million kilogrammes in 2022. The production has dropped because […]

Researched and written by Mr. Rama Somasunderam retired State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport (1990) and retired Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Mahaweli (SLAS).    This was called the Jaffna Peninsula Lagoon Scheme which is located at Elephant Pass which is located 30 miles South East of Jaffna. The lagoon is 19,000 acres and […]