Category: Agriculture
From Crisis Response to Climate Resilience: Innovating for Sri Lanka’s Agrifood Future
Vimlendra Sharan in discussion with vegetable farmers in Nuwara Eliya district By Vimlendra Sharan, FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives When extreme weather destroys crops, damages infrastructure and disrupts supply chains, the consequences travel far beyond the farm. They reach food prices, family nutrition, rural incomes and public finances. Cyclone Ditwah exposed this […]
Meaning in Every Drop: Sri Lanka’s El Niño Response
An El Niño year is rarely just about drought. It is about extremes. Current forecasts suggest Sri Lanka could face two connected phases. The first may bring heavier rainfall, localised flooding and landslide risks in the latter part of 2026. The second could be a prolonged dry spell stretching well into 2027, putting pressure on […]
Renegotiating Plantation Company Leases Mid-Tenure Could Impact FDI: Advocata Institute
Plans to prematurely renegotiate the lease agreements of Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) set a dangerous precedent against security of tenure and risk discouraging foreign direct investment (FDI) into state-owned lands, the Advocata Institute warned. This follows a statement made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who announced that the government is reviewing existing RPC lease agreements, […]
Sri Lanka Placed on Elevated Concern as Climate Shocks & Energy-Driven Cost Pressures Converge Ahead of Maha Season: FAO Report
Sri Lanka has been categorized under “Elevated Concern” (Tier 2) in a joint Asia-Pacific risk assessment published by UN agencies and global climate monitors. The classification comes as the island nation faces a dangerous convergence of intensifying climate anomalies and lingering global price shocks across fuel, fertilizer, and food systems (3FS). With the critical Second […]
Historic Milestone in Sri Lankan Pineapple Exports to Pakistan
Marking a historic milestone in Sri Lanka’s fresh fruit exports, the first-ever 20-foot container of fresh Sri Lankan pineapples (Ananas comosus) was successfully shipped to the Pakistani market on August 21. The consignment was exported by C R Exports (Pvt) Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s leading exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables, marking a significant […]
IFC Backs New Anthony’s Farm Group to Create Jobs, Support Smallholder Farmers and Drive Sri Lanka’s Poultry Exports
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is supporting New Anthony’s Farm Group (NAF) to expand operations, strengthen efficiency, create jobs and enhance rural livelihoods at one of Sri Lanka’s top poultry producers. IFC’s investment will enable NAF—Sri Lanka’s only fully antibiotic-free poultry producer—to scale capacity, improve value chain efficiency, […]
Asia drives global aquatic production to record high, powered by aquaculture expansion: FAO
Global production of aquatic animals and algae reached a new high of 235 million tonnes in 2024, driven largely by the rapid expansion of aquaculture, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched today during the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. The 2026 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture flagshipreport […]
An investigation is being carried out with regard to the activities of Kasagala Green Plantation, says CBSL
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has announced that it is conducting an investigation into the activities of Kasagala Green Plantation (Private) Limited (KGPL) under the provisions of the Finance Business Act, No. 42 of 2011 (FBA). This follows public statements made by Malwattage Ranjith Nandana Pieris, Director of KGPL, during an appearance on […]
Japan and FAO Partner with Sri Lanka to Restore Inland Fisheries in Ditwah Affected Eastern Province
The Government of Japan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka, have launched a joint initiative to restore inland fisheries livelihoods and strengthen the resilience of cyclone-affected fishing communities in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. The initiative was formally signed by H.E. Akio Isomata […]
SL & Australia Partner with FAO on AUD 2 Mn Initiative to Restore Climate-Resilient Vegetable Livelihoods in Cyclone-Affected Highlands
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, the Government of Australia, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) marked the launch of a AUD 2 million (USD 1.4 million) recovery initiative to restore and transform vegetable production systems in the cyclone-affected districts of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla. The agreement was […]
FAO Delivers Fertilizer Support to Cyclone-Affected Paddy Farmers in Anuradhapura
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a fertilizer support programme to assist smallholder paddy farmers in the Anuradhapura District whose fields were damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, helping them recover production in time for the upcoming Yala cultivation season in Sri Lanka. Through a voucher scheme valued at USD 300,000, […]
Tribute: Nissanka Welikala – Planter (1945-2026)
April 28, 2026 (LBO) – In Sri Lanka you come across all types of ‘characters’, and then there was my Uncle Nissanka, AKA Aswin, Alex and of course ‘Boora.’ Nissanka Welikala was the only son of Radiologist Dr. A. H. N. Welikala and Viola Welikala. Dr. Welikala dropped dead of a heart attack in his […]