Food security collapse in Sri Lanka
In April 2021, Sri Lanka's then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced an ambitious plan to transform the nation into the world's first fully organic farming country by abruptly banning chemical fertilizers, without consulting farmers or providing any transition period. This sudden policy shift aimed to promote sustainable agriculture but instead triggered immediate chaos in the country's rice sector, which is vital for food security and employs millions. Farmers, unprepared for the change struggled to source organic alternatives, leading to drastically reduced yields and widespread desperation as crops failed under the new regime.
The fallout was swift and severe. Rice production plummeted from pre-ban highs of around 3 million metric tons annually to just 2.74 million tons in the season ending February 2024, exacerbating food shortages and driving food inflation to record levels. This agricultural crisis compounded Sri Lanka's broader economic woes culminating in the country's worst financial collapse in over seven decades by 2022. At the height of the turmoil, the nation was forced to import a staggering 783,420 tons of rice mostly from India at a cost of $292.5 million, marking its first large-scale imports in decades. Public outrage boiled over into mass protests that ultimately ousted Rajapaksa from power.
Just 7 months after the ban's imposition, in mid-2021, the government reversed course and lifted the restrictions amid mounting evidence of the policy's failure. However, the damage lingered as fertilizer shortages persisted initially and the organic sector buoyed briefly by over 100 startups that invested $83 million in alternatives like fish-based liquids, collapsed dramatically. Today, only 8 such companies remain operational, with production slashed as one firm saw its output drop from 300,000 bottles per season to just 20,000. By 2025, Sri Lanka has nearly fully reverted to chemical fertilizers but farmers report applying 250-300 kg per hectare well above the South Asian average of 157 kg.
Change in rice cultivation area, yield and production in Sri Lanka (2011-2023)
4 years on, rice farmers continue to grapple with the policy's long shadow, their livelihoods strained by soaring costs and meager returns. Fertilizer prices have tripled since pre-ban levels while seedlings and labor expenses have also risen sharply forcing many to take loans just to plant. A typical farmer earns a slim profit of about 100,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($326) over a 4-month crop cycle barely enough to sustain a family year-round, turning rice cultivation into a part-time endeavor or a matter of habit rather than profit.
According to recent assessments, almost half of the country’s population 47.7 % has been forced to apply at least one of the following livelihood-based coping strategy in response to overlapping crises such as economic downturn, inflation, climate shocks, conflict and so on. This extraordinarily high figure indicates widespread erosion of resilience and signals that a large part of the population is sliding deeper into poverty and food insecurity.
The government's response has focused on stabilization and expansion though challenges like erratic weather persist such as this cyclone in the last week:
Death toll hits 212 as Sri Lanka struggles with Cyclone Ditwah impact
In the first 9 months of 2025, chemical fertilizer imports surged 73% to 727,000 metric tons surpassing pre-ban annual levels of 532,000 tons with spending up 60% to $202 million. Rice cultivation is set to expand to over 800,000 hectares in the current season ending February 2026, up from 770,240 hectares in 2021 aiming for 2.8 million tons of output against annual consumption of 3 million tons. Yet, imports remain elevated at 167,000 tons in the first 10 months of 2025, compared to 29,606 tons in 2023 underscoring ongoing shortfalls. Interviews with 11 farmers reveal a sector haunted by insecurity where the scars of the organic experiment have eroded trust in policy and profitability alike leaving Sri Lanka's rice bowl fragile despite the retreat from that ill-fated vision.
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 4:10 AM UTC