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Rice is Sri Lanka's national staple, its productive cultivation is of national security concern. FAS Colombo (Post) forecast’s Sri Lanka’s market year (MY) 2024/2025 (October-September) rice production (milled) at 3.42 million metric tons (MMT), coming from a planted area of 1.1 million hectares, with yields of 4.57 metric tons (MT)/hectare (rough rice).

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’s (Sri Lanka) Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies recently introduced a Special Commodity Levy for three agricultural commodities: maize (corn), black gram, and green gram, effective August 18, 2023, for a period of six-months.

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’s (Sri Lanka) Ministry of Health recently introduced the Food (Refined Wheat Flour Fortification) Regulations (2022).

FAS Colombo (Post) forecast’s Sri Lanka’s market year (MY) 2023/2024 (October-September) rice production (milled) at 3.16 million metric tons (MMT), with a planted area of 1 million hectares.

On October 20, 2022, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) notified draft amendment standards (number 1) to SLS 1725-1:2021 for Processed Grain-based Food Products, Part 1: Multi/Mixed Grain to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Sri Lanka’s market year (MY) 2021/2022 (October-September) rough rice production of 2.57 million metric tons (MMT) was sharply lower, severely disrupted by the Sri Lankan government’s banning of chemical fertilizer imports.

Sri Lanka's National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) (national authority) has revised wheat grains import regulations. Previously the national authority had issued a blanket approval for the import of wheat for flour milling for human consumption.

FAS Colombo (Post) forecasts Sri Lanka’s market year (MY) 2021/2022 (October-September) rough rice production at 5.12 million metric tons (MMT)...

FAS Colombo (Post) forecasts Sri Lanka’s market year (MY) 2021/2022 (October-September) rough rice production at 5.12 million metric tons (MMT), up by 121,000 metric tons (MT), and increasing...

South Asia, which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, accounts for 24 percent of the world’s population, with 1.84 billion people in 2019.

In MY 2020/21 Sri Lanka expects a healthy rice paddy harvest with a forecast of 4.4 million metric tons. The MY 2019/20 harvest would surpass the national target for self-sufficiency.

Post expects rice production in Sri Lanka to increase to 3 million metric tons in the marketing year (MY) 2019/20 under average weather conditions.