Erandathie Pathiraja
Apr 28, 2026

Powering through Droughts and Crises: Redesigning Sri Lanka’s Energy Resilience

Sri Lanka has lived with energy insecurities for decades. Today, the crisis is a structural problem that is no longer limited to mere episodes. The country’s electricity system sits at the intersection of three converging vulnerabilities. Firstly, the system relies on a bimodal rainfall pattern that makes hydropower inherently boom-and-bust. Secondly, Sri Lanka has a near-total dependence on imported fossil fuels and limited use of other renewables, mainly rooftop solar, to fill the gaps. Thirdly, the country deals with an ageing grid infrastructure that is ill-equipped for the distributed energy future that could solve the problem.

Jun 07, 2023

Sri Lanka’s Palm Oil Industry: Balancing Economic Benefits and Environmental Sustainability

The palm oil industry in Sri Lanka has been a vital policy initiative aimed at reducing palm oil imports and boosting the economy. Oil palm cultivation was allowed initially to reduce reliance on imported palm oil, but concerns over environmental and health impacts led to a decision to phase out cultivation within ten years. In this Q&A Explainer with Author, Dr Erandathie Pathiraja, Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), provides valuable insights into the recently published IPS study, ‘Palm Oil Industry in Sri Lanka: An Economic Analysis’. Dr Pathiraja shares her perspectives on the reasons behind the ban on oil palm cultivation, the potential impact on the economy and environment, the industry’s economic contributions, environmental concerns and their mitigation, health issues related to edible oil consumption, and alternative solutions to meet the local edible oil demand. The study authored by Dr. Erandathie Pathiraja, Ruwan Samaraweera, Hiruni Fernando, and Jaan Bogodage, offers a comprehensive analysis of the economic and environmental impacts of the palm oil industry in Sri Lanka.

Jun 20, 2022

Taxing Tobacco: Benefits and Burdens of Beedi Taxes to Sri Lanka’s Economy

Beedi smoking is widespread in Sri Lanka, accounting for nearly 23% of the country’s smokers. The absence of a filter makes it an unsafe product exposing its users to nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide. As such, this tobacco product is possibly more harmful to human health than other forms of smoking. However, beedi remains an underregulated product notwithstanding the provisions of the Tobacco Tax Act No. 8 of 1999. This blog argues that beedi taxation is a low-hanging fruit to boost government revenue and reduce the foreign exchange outflow with the added benefit of improving the health of Sri Lankans. An excise tax on beedi can benefit the economy in several ways: it would directly increase government revenue, lower beedi consumption, and decrease raw material import costs thus reducing dollar outflows. Lower beedi use would also lower smoking-related health issues, thereby reducing the government’s expenditure on health.

Apr 29, 2021

Palm Oil Ban in Sri Lanka: Is it Sustainable?

Sri Lanka’s edible oil market has garnered considerable attention in recent weeks due to a series of events including the banning of palm oil imports in a bid to promote the local coconut industry and the detection of aflatoxins in imported coconut oil. The edible oil industry is important for Sri Lanka with oils and fats being a major constituent of the typical Sri Lankan diet and a raw material in manufacturing, the food manufacturing industry in particular. According to the latest available data, there are around 5,057 establishments employing 332,828 workers in the formal food manufacturing sector which generate an annual output of approximately LKR 1.4 billion. This blog assesses the local edible oil market and its potential for import substitution.