Agriculture in Sri Lanka

The beginning of Paddy Cultivation in Sri Lanka, back to the history between 3000 years and 3rd century B.C. Mostly paddy field-based rivers or water resources. The governing Royal minds of Sri Lanka saw the enriching importance of rice cultivation that provoked them to build tanks of extraordinary size and numbers to irrigate the mass-scale rice production. At present much of the human and animal labour is replaced with technology, adding a greater deal of efficiency towards the production process.[1]

Present-day rice production is one of the main crops and staple foods in Sri Lanka. Rice is the staple food of 21 million Sri Lankans and is the livelihood of more than 2 million farmers. More than 30 percent of the total labour force is directly or indirectly involved in the rice sector. The annual per capita consumption of rice was around 92 kg in 1998. In 1990s total production was near 3 million metric tonnes of rough rice (paddy), which is about 60 percent of the national requirement (2013). Sri Lanka needs about 3–4 million metric tonnes annually. Today 30–40% of rice is imported from India. Because Sri Lankan farmers left farming. It cultivates mostly North Central and East provinces of Sri Lanka. The seasons are called Maha season and Yala season. Maha Season starts by September and ends by March. Yala season starts by May and ends by August. Yala season is the main and most important paddy season. [2]

Tea plantation at about 1800 m above sea level in Haputale, Hill Country

As an attempt to recuperate the losses caused by the downfall of coffee plantation (such as 1869 Hemileia vastatrix disease and the drooping prices of coffee cultivatable lands during 1847), Tea was planted in Sri Lanka as an experimental crop. Several research groups were sent to Assam to study and identify the necessary prerequisites for the new crop. In between this tea industry was introduced to the country in 1867 by James Taylor, the British planter who arrived in 1852, in Lool Kandura. It is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka and accounts for 2% of GDP, generating roughly $700 million annually to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea, (rather than producer) with 23% of the total world export, but it has since been surpassed by Kenya.

The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the country's central highlands provide a climate that favors the production of high quality tea.[3][4][5]

The major tea growing areas are Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in Central Province, Badulla, Bandarawela and Haputale in Uva Province, Galle, Matara and Mulkirigala in Southern Province, and Ratnapura and Kegalle in Sabaragamuwa Province.

Around eighty different varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown in Sri Lanka's varied agro-climatic areas. The cool and salubrious climatic conditions in the hill country are ideal for temperate crops such as carrot, leek, cabbage, cauliflower, salad leaves, beet, bean, bell pepper, and salad cucumber. The well-demarcated low country and dry wet areas are suitable for a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables ranging from green chilli, red onion, pumpkin, bitter gourd, melon, sweet and sour banana types, queen pineapple, papaya, mango, lemon and gherkins.

Certain indigenous yams colloquially named innala (Lecranthus) and kiri ala (Xanthasoma sagittifolium), underwater stems of kohila (Lasia spinosa) and nelum ala (Nymphea lotus) and fruits and pods of perennial crops such as bread fruit, young jak and murunga are foreign exchange spinners of the country. It is the same with special flavored Sri Lankan pineapple, mangosteen, ripe jak, avocado, rambutan, starfruit and anoda.

Sri Lanka produces more than 800,000 metric tons of fruits and vegetables annually and exports both fresh and processed varieties to many destinations in the world. 90 per cent of the fresh product is targeted to the Middle East and the Maldives and almost about 75 percent of the processed products go to the European market.[6]

Currently Sri Lanka is looking to obtain arid-climate-resistant fruit species from Egypt to develop agriculture in the dry zones of Sri Lanka.[7]

Oilseed crops such as groundnut, sesame, sunflower and mustard are also cultivated in Sri Lanka. Groundnut is grown mainly in Moneragala, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Ratnapura and Puttalam districts. Though groundnut is an oil crop, it has a demand as a snack and confectionery in Sri Lanka.[8]

Sri Lanka's first agrotechnology park was established in Kandy district. The park is bounded on three sides by the river Mahaweli in the historically important place of Gannoruwa in Kandy and lies at an altitude of 473 m (1550 ft) above sea level in a total area of two square kilometers. The second agrotechnology park was established in Hambantota district adjoining the government farm in Batatha.[9]

In 2015 alone, Sri Lanka’s spice exports amounted to USD 377 million, up from USD 264 million the previous year.

Sri Lanka’s most famous export, cinnamon is the island’s premier spice export. Industry insiders classify the spice into two forms, Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum), and Cassia Cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is the costlier variety and is considered to be a much more upmarket product by those in the West. Sri Lanka exported USD 128 million worth of cinnamon in 2014, which accounted for 28% of global cinnamon exports for that year.[10]

Black pepper 2nd largest export spice in Sri Lanka. Most black pepper export to India. But India and Vietnam re-export to Europe Sri Lankan pepper under the Indian/Vietnam label.[11]

According to the World Bank:[13]

• Weaknesses in strategy and policy
• Heavy public sector regulatory interventions in commodity and input/factor markets
• Weak delivery of services in rural areas
• Destructive impact of civil conflict and tsunami

• Economy of Sri Lanka