Sri Lanka’s Agri-Food Trade: Structure, Opportunities, Challenges and Impacts of COVID-19

15 November 2021

IPS held a dissemination workshop on ‘Sri Lanka’s Agri-Food Trade: Structure, Opportunities, Challenges and Impacts of COVID-19’ to understand the current agriculture trade flow scenario in Sri Lanka. The workshop was organised under IPS’ Policy Research Capacity and Influence (PRCI) Programme on COVID-19 and Agri-food Trade in Sri Lanka.

IPS Research Officer, Nimesha Dissanayaka presented on the topic followed by a Q&A session with a distinguished panel consisting of the public sector, private sector, research community, and the international donor community.

Nimesha Dissanayaka focused on the import and export of important food items in Sri Lanka. She highlighted that wheat, milk and cream, and cane or beet sugar are among the top agriculture imports of Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s top agri-food exports such as tea, cinnamon, rubber, and even the fisheries industries may be facing several challenges due to the pandemic but has the potential to expand globally. Nimesha outlined that Sri Lanka should seek new and emerging export destinations by analysing the untapped export potential, diversifying products, adopting modern technologies, and using digital platforms like blockchain technology.

Dr Suresh Babu, Senior Research Fellow, Head of Capacity Strengthening, IFPRI and Dr Manoj Thibbotuwawa moderated the discussion.

Watch the full discussion HERE.