• Concerns over shortfall in rice yield; crop damage in Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura
• Farmers express frustration over delay in receiving fertiliser subsidy promised by Govt.
• Small and medium mill owners awaiting Maha harvest, concerned over supplies 
• Treasury funds to PMB for paddy purchasing; harvesting stats still under evaluation: Wickremasinghe 

As the Maha harvesting season commences in parts of Sri Lanka, farmers are grappling with concerns over whether the rice yield will be sufficient to ease the current market shortages. While the ongoing harvest may temporarily alleviate scarcity, farmers warn that the supply could fall short of meeting demand, with fears of another shortage looming by April.

Farmers attribute the uncertainty to significant crop damage caused by floods and ongoing torrential rains in key paddy-growing regions such as Ampara, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura.

Challenges faced by farmers

Expressing the collective disappointment of farmers in the region, L. Gunawansa, a farmer from Ampara, said that torrential rains and subsequent flooding had devastated large swathes of paddy fields, leaving crops waterlogged and vulnerable to disease and decay. 

“Heavy rains and floods have severely impacted most of the paddy fields,” he explained, adding that the prolonged inundation had destroyed a significant portion of their expected yield. 

The impact of this devastation goes beyond just reduced harvest quantities; it threatens the livelihoods of farming families who depend on the sale of paddy to sustain themselves. For many, the season’s losses may take years to recover, exacerbating financial burdens in an already challenging economic environment.

Meanwhile, farmers in the North Central Province including Polonnaruwa are grappling with an equally pressing issue: the shortage of fertiliser. 

Upasena Dissanayake, a farmer from the area, expressed his deep frustration over the delayed distribution of Government-subsidised fertiliser. “We are nearing harvest, and if the subsidy does not arrive on time, it is pointless,” he stressed, underlining the critical timing of fertiliser application in the final stages of crop growth. 

The shortage has forced many farmers to either purchase fertiliser at exorbitant prices from private suppliers or risk stunted crop growth due to nutrient deficiencies.

For farmers such as Dissanayake, the situation is particularly dire because fertiliser shortages compound the difficulties caused by adverse weather conditions. The lack of proper nutrient application has resulted in uneven growth and reduced yields, further straining their ability to recover losses from previous seasons. 

Moreover, the delay in subsidies adds to their financial struggles, as many farmers had already stretched their resources thin to purchase seeds and other inputs at the start of the season. Both Gunawansa and Dissanayake’s experiences highlight the cascading challenges faced by Sri Lankan farmers this Maha season.

DOA statistics

Adverse weather, crop damage, and input shortages are creating a volatile storm of difficulties that not only threaten the current harvest but also cast a shadow over the future of paddy cultivation in these regions.

According to Department of Agriculture (DOA) statistics, rice is a staple food in Sri Lanka, occupying about 34% of the country’s total cultivated land area. 

In the 2022/’23 period, rice cultivation covered approximately 1,116,933 hectares, with 748,027 hectares in the Maha season and 368,906 hectares in the Yala season. The average annual yield is 3.1 million tonnes, fulfilling 95% of the nation’s domestic rice requirements. 

Rice farming provides livelihoods for 1.8 million farming families across the island. The cost of production varies between Rs. 23.17 per kg in irrigated systems and Rs. 32.38 per kg in rain-fed systems, as per the statistics. 

Statistics also reveal that the main cost factors include labour (43%), machinery (38%), and inputs (19%) in irrigated systems. On average, each Sri Lankan consumes around 107 kg of rice annually, with rice contributing to 45% of the daily calorie intake and 40% of the protein requirements. 

However, the sector faces challenges in improving productivity to maintain self-sufficiency and meet the needs of a growing population, as well as enhancing the quality of rice, including its nutritional and health benefits.

Disruptive rainfall and pest outbreaks 

Against this backdrop, the Natural Resources Management Centre (NRMC) of the DOA recently issued an Agro-met Advisory for January to March. It integrates forecasts from the Department of Meteorology and data on irrigation water availability from various agencies. 

The Department of Meteorology predicts near-normal rainfall for the three-month period, although sudden, unexpected rains due to atmospheric disturbances are possible in January. 

As revealed in the advisory, reservoirs are reported to be in good condition, with major reservoirs at 87% effective storage and Mahaweli Authority-managed reservoirs at 92%. 

Additionally, 86% of the expected Maha season rainfall has already been received, largely due to heavy rains in November 2024. This bodes well for meeting irrigation needs and proper water management practices are expected to ensure sufficient carryover storage for the 2025 Yala season.

While water availability is promising, the ongoing rains have disrupted harvesting efforts and created ideal conditions for pest outbreaks. Farmers have reported infestations of brown planthopper, white-backed planthopper, rice leaffolder, and caseworm across the Northern, North Central, Eastern, and North Western Provinces. 

Thrips infestations and nematode attacks have also been observed, exacerbated by alternating rainy periods and dry spells, according to the advisory. 

It further revealed that pesticides had proven ineffective under current weather conditions, leading experts to urge farmers to monitor fields closely and seek timely advice from the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) and field officers. 

“Early identification of pest attacks is crucial to preventing outbreaks and avoiding unnecessary spending on ineffective pesticides,” the advisory stressed.

Shortages expected to resurface

The staggered cultivation this season, caused by re-sowing after floods and delayed planting, has further complicated efforts to stabilise the harvest. Despite near-normal rainfall forecasts and favourable reservoir levels, farmers remain apprehensive about meeting market demand.

However, as learnt by The Sunday Morning, small- and medium-scale mill owners are also facing challenges, not just farmers. Small- and Medium-Scale Mill Owners’ Association President B.K. Ranjith stated that mill owners were still struggling to obtain the required paddy.

“Most of our mills have now been shut down and we are waiting for the Maha harvest. However, we do not expect a significant impact from the Maha harvest based on the information we have received from farmers. 

“Crop damage has negatively affected the outcome. We hope rice prices will decrease in the coming month, but the reduction is unlikely to be substantial. According to our predictions, we expect shortages to resurface in April because the harvest will not be enough to meet current market demand,” he stressed.

However, when contacted, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Secretary D.P. Wickremasinghe said that the Treasury had already allocated around Rs. 1 million for the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to commence paddy purchasing. 

“We are currently clearing our stocks and making space. We have space to store 3 million MT of rice and our plan is to fill up the entire storage. Funds will be released by the Treasury in a step-by-step process,” he said. 

When asked about the crop damage and the sufficiency of the harvest expected from the Maha season to meet the demand, the Secretary stressed that the paddy harvesting statistics were still under evaluation, as harvesting had only commenced in Ampara thus far. 

“In some areas, the farmers are still cultivating, but with the data obtained so far, we will be getting a sufficient harvest to meet the demand,” he revealed.