Sri Lanka: Grain and Feed Annual

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. Without the application of chemical fertilizers and relying solely on the previous season’s residue fertilizer in the soil with the addition of limited amounts of organic fertilizers, the Maha 2021/2022 (October-March) crop failed to deliver the anticipated production volume. Maha 2021/2022 rough rice production is 1.93 MMT. The Yala 2022 season (harvested in August/September 2022) will see a steep drop with production at an estimated 640,000 metric tons (MT). Rough rice production is estimated at its lowest in level in the past five marketing years. Post forecasts rice production in MY 2022/2023 at a volume of 4.1 MMT, a lingering result of the disruption in the supply of fertilizers in MY 2021/2022. Yields are expected at around 4.1 MT per hectare.