Sri Lanka’s Research and Development (R&D) efforts in the agricultural sector are notably progressing. 

In an interview with The Sunday Morning Business, Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (SLCARP) Chairman Prof. Saman Dharmakeerthi elaborated on the recent developments and areas for improvement, while highlighting that the country’s agricultural research would undergo a significant shift from 2026 onwards. 

Following are excerpts: 

The majority of Sri Lankan farmers have historically relied on low-tech, manual labour for farming. How has this changed and how has technology adoption progressed? How has research helped in the transformation process?

In the past, land cultivation relied entirely on manual labour, but farmers have now adopted mechanisation, utilising machine-driven land preparation techniques such as mouldboard ploughs, power tillers, and other types of tillers and machine harvesting systems.

At present, there is an effort to mechanise other practices as well, although with less consistent success. For instance, the application of fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides in agricultural fields largely remains labour-intensive even at present. Planting often still involves manual labour and machine-driven planting technologies have not been widely developed under Sri Lankan conditions yet.

Innovative solutions are being explored for other practices such as the application of fertilisers, chemical inputs to agricultural fields, and planting of seeds. Moreover, research is being conducted on the use of drone technologies to spray chemicals and broadcast seeds from the air, minimising labour usage. 

Research has also played a major role in developing more environmentally friendly technologies such as identifying optimum machinery for land preparation, effectively using drone technologies for spraying chemicals and seeding in small fields, and identifying the impacts of using heavy farm machinery on our agricultural soils, including potential soil compaction. Hence, the agricultural sector is progressively transforming from traditional, labour-intensive practices to a relatively more mechanised system.

How much progress have we made in sustainable agriculture research in recent years? What specific outcomes have recent sustainable agriculture research programmes achieved in terms of yield improvement, cost reduction, or export development?

To ensure sustainability, we consider three key aspects and align research accordingly.

The first is economic sustainability, which assesses whether production systems can generate sufficient income for farmers. The second is environmental sustainability, ensuring that our practices do not harm the environment, thereby preserving resources for future generations at current levels. The third is social sustainability, which evaluates how well agricultural practices are socially accepted and whether they improve the social status of farmers.

As per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), all countries are encouraged to achieve sustainability in their farming practices by setting United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research has been conducted in Sri Lanka with these in mind, especially over the past two decades. 

We have been focused on improving productivity to increase farmers’ income and reduce production costs, thereby maximising their profits and improving their social status. Additionally, we ensure that agricultural activities minimise negative impacts to the environment.

Moreover, agricultural productivity has also increased over the past 10-20 years. A key contribution to this has been the development of new, high-yielding crop varieties. Furthermore, when utilising agricultural inputs like agrochemicals, several technological packages have been introduced to minimise environmental pollution caused by chemicals applied to agricultural lands. 

For instance, integrated plant nutrient management involves a combination of synthetic fertilisers, organic fertilisers, bio-fertilisers, and bio-stimulants, delivered as one package. In the past, only synthetic fertilisers were applied to meet plant nutritional requirements.

Similarly, new technologies have been developed for pest and disease management, and also to improve soil resilience. Even when chemicals are applied, the soil’s ability to resist change or remain resilient to these applications has improved due to new technologies. More recently, we have gone a step further by developing new crop varieties that are not only high-yielding but also climate-resilient, preparing ourselves to face future climate change scenarios. 

We are also conducting research to increase the efficiency of agricultural inputs such as agrochemicals and are seeking environmentally friendly products to minimise chemical usage. Examples include slow-release fertilisers, which reduce the amount of fertiliser applied to fields, and fertigation technologies, where fertilisers are delivered with irrigation water without the need for manual labour. These technologies make the sector more resilient to various biotic and abiotic stresses.

Furthermore, agricultural field conditions vary from one location to another, even within a single field. Therefore, a blanket recommendation for all fields or even for a given field is often inefficient. Accordingly, we are conducting research on precision agriculture technologies to identify areas that require different rates of fertiliser.

Which specific research areas require further development to improve the country’s agricultural economy?

We need to develop planting materials with higher yield potential. In the paddy sector, yields have gradually stagnated over the last 10-15 years. New research using biotechnology and breeding technologies should develop new planting materials to increase land productivity and stress tolerance. In relation to that, soil fertility and plant health management studies are required to achieve the genetic potentials of the newly developed varieties.

Much work also needs to be done in our efforts to overcome the country’s economic downturn by generating foreign exchange, especially in identifying foreign markets for the export of our agricultural crops. Beyond this, we also need to focus on value addition for some of our primary products. There are many crops cultivated that are unique to Sri Lankan conditions with unexplored benefits associated with their properties.

Another essential area is climate-resilient agriculture and climate-smart agriculture technologies. Climate change is an undeniable reality and global warming is leading to highly unpredictable climate and weather conditions, including extreme dry and wet periods as we have experienced in recent years. We must prepare ourselves to face these challenges for which more research is essential.

Furthermore, improving the quality of agricultural produce is another important research area. For example, addressing zinc deficiency in some of our food items involves researching how to improve zinc uptake by increasing its content in our food, particularly rice, and developing iron biofortification technologies.

In order to address the labour shortage in the agriculture sector, we need to develop new low-cost yet effective machinery for land preparation for vegetable and horticultural crop sectors, weeding, tine tilling, etc. In the plantation crop sector, there is an urgent need for harvesting machines. In addition, development of machinery/equipment for food processing and storage is also a priority research area.

What challenges do you observe in conducting agricultural research and the adoption of research in the country? 

While we have developed several technologies through past research, their adoption by farmers has not reached expected levels. This is partly due to drawbacks in agricultural extension, as the entire system, unfortunately, collapsed over the last decade or two. We need to move beyond traditional methods of knowledge dissemination to farmers, developing new agricultural extension strategies and encouraging their adoption.

The biggest challenge in conducting agricultural research in Sri Lanka has been the Government’s policy towards R&D over the past few decades, which lacked sufficient weight for agricultural research. While it has been funded to some extent, the efforts were not at the forefront of policy.

For instance, the funding allocated for agricultural research is approximately Rs. 3 billion annually. As a percentage of Government expenditure, this amounts to a very low value, around 0.15%. According to an FAO publication in 2022, low-income countries, on average, spend about 2% of their total expenditure on R&D. Therefore, the Government needs to formulate a clear policy decision to drive the agricultural sector, and prioritising funding for agricultural research is essential to achieve this.

There is also a scarcity of researchers or scientists in the agricultural sector. Under the SLCARP, there are 13 institutes included in the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). The total approved research cadre in the NARS institutes is about 1,640. 

However, as of 2024, approximately 58% of these positions are vacant, meaning only around 42% of the required cadre is currently working in agricultural research institutes. This shortage is a major bottleneck to the development of the sector. 

Taking the Department of Agriculture, where the largest portion of the cadre (about 1,164 research positions) is located, no one was recruited for vacancies for approximately the last 10 years. It was only last year that around 300 new, young research officers were recruited. During the period of no recruitment, qualified senior scientists either left the country or retired, and as a result, a proper mentoring mechanism for budding scientists was not in place. 

In addition to that, the majority of the existing researchers are not fully qualified yet, requiring priority in training to enable them to conduct high-quality, impactful research. It is also challenging to retain high-quality scientists within the national agricultural system, especially since remuneration received by qualified agricultural scientists is significantly lower than that offered by other professions requiring similar qualifications. 

On the other hand, we lack fully equipped high-quality research laboratories in Sri Lanka. This is a direct consequence of low funding, which has prevented the development of advanced research facilities within the agricultural system.  

However, the current Government appears to have taken a very clear policy decision to strengthen the R&D sector, including agriculture, with new national research and development policies being drafted and awaiting Cabinet approval.

Only a small fraction of R&D output is commercialised. What hurdles exist when it comes to agricultural R&D commercialisation, and what reforms are needed to bridge the gap between research and agribusiness uptake? 

One major drawback is the absence of a dedicated commercialisation arm within our national agricultural research system. There is no entity responsible for securing intellectual property rights or for proceeding with commercialisation by finding private sector partners to bring these research findings to market. 

I understand that the new science and technology policy currently being drafted for the entire R&D sector is identifying the need for a commercialisation arm and division within its framework.

Moreover, developing commercially viable products is itself difficult in Sri Lanka, largely due to the primitive state of our facilities.

What measures are required to improve the lack of sufficient investment in agricultural research? 

We have observed a decreasing trend in investment over the past five years as well, which needs to be addressed. If we could at least reach 0.5-1% of Government expenditure over the next few years, it would support the development of the sector.

Beyond Government funding, we also need to encourage private sector investment in agricultural research. Private sector funding for R&D in Sri Lanka is currently very low and private sector participation and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects are insufficient. 

For instance, the private sector could invest more in value addition for agricultural produce to boost export earnings, which would directly benefit it. Another area for private investment is the development of various eco-friendly, high-quality agricultural inputs using locally available materials. Therefore, the Government should encourage private sector participation, perhaps by offering tax benefits or other incentives for R&D purposes.

Sri Lanka has long struggled with post-harvest losses and complications. What gaps do you see in post-harvest research that limit Sri Lanka’s agricultural productivity?

In the past, we estimated a 40% post-harvest loss in the vegetable sector. Thanks to some research, this has been significantly reduced in the recent past. However, when it comes to rice, approximately 12% of stored rice is lost during the storage period alone. Research is required to further reduce rice grain losses during storage. 

Additionally, during the storage of some corn seeds, issues with fungal growth leading to aflatoxin production can arise, which requires research. We also need to develop grain processing machinery tailored to the specific rice and corn varieties we have in the country, and establish strong quality standards. 

Losses remain significant for fruits and vegetables as well. To minimise them, it’s required to conduct research on cold storage conditions, specifically identifying the optimum temperatures and humidity levels, etc. for our local variety and produce needs. 

Another reason for post-harvest losses is market gluts during periods of high production. If we cannot store excess produce, or if storage is only possible for limited periods, we need to develop research technologies to preserve, add value, or process this surplus produce. 

Overall, there is insufficient research conducted across the entire supply chain, as we need to understand how long our products can be kept at each stage and what developments are necessary to extend their shelf life. Additionally, research on the export competitiveness of our agricultural products after harvesting is essential at this point. 

How pertinent is comprehensive agricultural research for improving the industry? What is the future of sustainable agriculture research in Sri Lanka? 

Our existing National Agriculture Policy dates back to 2007. While a draft for a new national agriculture policy for the crop sector emerged in 2017-’18, followed by a broader draft, these did not achieve the necessary Cabinet approval. 

However, the current Government has a national policy that has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, which includes a section on agriculture. While this document identifies certain policies, it lacks detailed strategies for implementation and specific actions required for each strategy. 

I understand that the Ministry of Agriculture has developed some actions to achieve the policies approved and it is now in the process of consolidating all these into a comprehensive agricultural policy. 

Under the emerging science and technology policy, there will be a dedicated research management division for the agricultural sector which will oversee all agricultural research. Once this policy is finalised, I believe future agricultural research will be funded exclusively through this new body. 

The research management division will also monitor the agricultural research conducted by research institutes and also evaluate the impact on the economy, environment, and society.

Without sustainability, any policy will not materialise. From 2026 onwards and over the next five years and more, we will witness a major shift in agricultural research policy and agricultural research in the country, ensuring the sustainability of the agricultural sector while improving the living standards of farmers and contributing more to the national economy.