The Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha - Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation

¶ 01 (a) (i) A three-year plan for rice and additional food crops has been prepared for 2027–2029. A plan up to 2040 has not been prepared.

¶ 02 To achieve self-sufficiency in dairy products, the following programmes are being implemented with Rs. 2,000 million allocated under the 2026 Budget Estimates by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, the Department of Animal Production and Health, Provincial Departments of Animal Production and Health and the National Livestock Development Board: 1. Programme for Enhancing Local Dairy Production (Dairy Hub) – Rs. 1,000 million; aimed at uplifting dairy farmers and making Sri Lanka 75% self-sufficient in milk by 2030. 2. Programme for Improving Breeding Units at several NLDB farms – Rs. 1,000 million.

¶ 03 (ii) An annual forecast plan to reduce food imports has been prepared. Under the Organizational Result-based Framework developed for 2025–2029, the baseline year is 2024.

¶ 04 (iii) The following tasks are planned for 2027–2030: 1. Establish about 200 Agricultural Machinery Hubs island-wide to provide machinery services on a rental basis to farmers in a timely manner; expected expenditure Rs. 2,000 million. 2. Train about 2,000 skilled operators to operate agricultural machinery; expected cost Rs. 20 million. 3. Conduct awareness workshops on proper maintenance and operation of agricultural machinery; expected cost Rs. 20 million. 4. Research and promotion of new agricultural mechanization technologies among farmers; expected cost Rs. 500 million. 5. Field demonstrations for additional food crops using suitable machinery packages (bed preparation, seed application, drone technology, harvesting); expected cost Rs. 100 million.

¶ 05 Identification of suitable land and sound environmental management are essential for good crop growth and higher yields. The Department of Agriculture has identified and mapped suitable areas for 12 major crops and 7 major fruit crops. A website with GN Division-level guidance on suitable crops, cultivation seasons and other details (https://csrforgnd.doa.gov.lk/) is maintained for public access.

¶ 06 (iv) The specific year cannot be stated at present. Predicting the year Sri Lanka will substantially eliminate imports of major food crops to conserve foreign exchange is challenging due to policy changes, climate, technological advances and economic developments. Medium-term trends indicate progress towards near self-sufficiency in rice, fruits and vegetables; however, full self-sufficiency is a complex, gradual process. Ongoing efforts promote domestic agriculture, improve productivity and minimize dependence on imports. Given constraints—limited arable land, rainwater management, climate variability, input access issues, market price fluctuations—cultivation targets vary by crop. Accordingly, timely import decisions are taken within each year using Department of Agriculture crop yield forecasts to conserve foreign exchange.

¶ 07 (v) According to production data over the past 10 years, domestic production of sesame, groundnuts, red onions, cowpea and green gram exceeds 50% of annual requirement. Sesame has reached self-sufficiency and is being exported. Measures are underway to reach self-sufficiency in groundnuts, black gram, red onions, cowpea and green gram. For maize, potatoes, big onions and soybeans, a larger share of annual requirement is met via imports than domestic production. A considerable portion of the requirement for maize and black gram is nevertheless met domestically.

¶ 08 Crop | Annual production (MT)* | Annual requirement (MT)* | Self-sufficiency (%) - Maize: 272,523 | 700,000 | 39 - Potato: 67,462 | 225,000 | 30 - Big onion: 36,013 | 325,000 | 11 - Red onion: 55,767 | 80,000 | 70 - Soybean: 5,769 | 13,000 | 44 - Green gram: 13,533 | 25,000 | 54 - Cowpea: 11,872 | 18,000 | 66 - Black gram: 9,807 | 25,000 | 39 - Groundnut: 29,129 | 40,000 | 73 - Finger millet: 7,781 | 10,000 | 78 - Sesame: 10,466 | 7,000 | 150 (* Average production 2016–2025)

¶ 09 (vi) Currently, surplus sesame production is exported. Quantity exported (MT): 2021 – 2,736; 2022 – 7,488; 2023 – 2,189; 2024 – 173; 2025 – 4,249.

¶ 10 (vii) Since target markets and projected timelines for 2027–2040 have not yet been prepared, they cannot be presented to the House at this time.

¶ 11 (b) The target markets and projected timelines for 2027–2040 are expected to be prepared in the future.