In April 2021, the Sri Lankan government imposed a ban on the import and use of conventional agricultural chemicals (both fertilizers & pesticides) and actively promoted the use of organic inputs in national agriculture.
The move contributed to a reduction in yield and led to a surge in food prices across the country. This, compounded by other challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, further worsened Sri Lanka’s economy in mid-2021. Later that year (November 2021), the government partially reversed the policy and allowed for the import of chemical inputs for critical export crops. However, subsidies for chemical fertilizers were not reinstated, hence the price of food remained high (and in short supply) as the yield of major crops such as rice had not recovered. Given these dire circumstances, there was also concern that developments would lead to an increase in the usage of illegal pesticides. As the result of this, CropLife Asia contracted with Kynetec to conduct an independent assessment of the impact of the lack of chemical pesticides and fertilizers nationally on the farming communities, the production of key crops, and changes in the extent of illegal pesticide usage in view of the shifting regulatory and policy landscape.
