In anticipation of possible food insecurities that could arise from the ongoing Middle East (ME) war, the Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development Ministry, in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, is moving to boost and encourage the cultivation of high-yield seeds grown under special conditions, through training farmer-entrepreneurs.
Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (23), Deputy subject Minister R.M. Jayawardhana said that training programmes for youth are ongoing across the country already, aimed at turning selected groups towards technological agriculture and transforming them into agricultural entrepreneurs. "Further, the Agriculture Ministry is planning to grapple with possible issues that could erupt regarding food shortages," he said.
However, he noted that even though the World Food Programme (WFP) has recently made predictions regarding Sri Lanka of a possible price surge of food, the Government has not yet identified such a situation. "For now, we are managing the fuel prices to some extent in a way that lessens the impact on food prices. When distribution costs go up, food prices go up too. We don’t know how much fuel prices will rise in the future, hence, we cannot predict how much food prices will hike either. But, once we have the data, we will discuss and take necessary steps," he said.
Regarding the feared food shortage, he added, "It is from countries like India that we import the most. There are some goods that we import from Iran, and there is some disruption in that. We are meeting weekly to discuss the import situation and such details, and we will see whether there is any need to introduce concession programmes. Until now, we haven’t identified any. Actually, we don’t think that there will be a grave shortage of food or higher price hikes, though the WFP has said so, but we are bracing ourselves".
When queried about the fact that around 90 per cent of fertiliser is imported from the ME and whether that would cause a reduction in yield, he said that calculations have been done and that no shortage within the country has been identified, and that farmers have secure levels of fertiliser for their crops.
Further, the WFP has warned in a report that the estate sector would be harshly affected amidst the ME crisis with their meagre income already battling daily expenses.
When contacted by The Daily Morning, Deputy Plantation Minister, Sundaralingam Pradeep said that the risk of possible such situations has been identified and that immediate measures will be necessary. ''We will immediately start discussions on this and arrange measures to make sure that these issues don’t affect them," he said.
In a report, the WFP has warned that rising instability in the ME is posing growing risks to Sri Lanka’s household food security. The report notes that Sri Lanka remains highly vulnerable to external shocks as it continues its recovery from the 2022 economic crisis and the impacts of Cyclone Ditwah last year (in 2025). The WFP has cited heavy reliance on imported energy and fertiliser as the central reason for these insecurities, as global oil prices rise.
Attempts to contact Agriculture Ministry Secretary, D.P. Wickremasinghe proved futile.